Finding Cinderella
by lin-ifyouplease
Summary: At a very young age, Caroline Forbes was forced to work in her own house as a maid under her stepfather and step-siblings constantly being called "Cinderella". When the resident prince charming, Stefan Salvatore, throws a big birthday ball, Caroline would give anything for just one night off. (based off of the plot from the broadway musical) RATED M for heavy topics and language.
1. Prologue

Once Upon a Time in the city of Los Angeles, there lived a very beautiful little girl with her two beautifully happy parents. The girl lived in a grand stately mansion in the hills not too far from big screen royalty. She had a family that loved her and a warm bed to sleep in every night. Each time she lay in her bed, her mother would hold her hand and tell her to always dream sweet impossible dreams that take her beyond her wildest fantasy. The little girl loved hearing her mother's sweet words every night, but never heard her father say much. Yes, she loved him dearly, but he was distant, like he was in pain.

Little did anyone know, the little girl's father was sick and died of illness when the girl was only 8 years old. Her mother grieved for her husband's death and never took a hand off of her daughter as the little girl's tears fell like waterfalls on her red cheeks. Afterwards, the mother, Liz, decided enough was enough and the sweet little girl needed her mother to be there for her. For a few years Liz successfully raised her daughter.

Unfortunately, things don't come as easily to people in the real world, so Liz struggled to feed her daughter most nights. The future wasn't looking very bright for her, so she did what any mother would do to save her family, build on to it. Liz went out with many suitors, none of which were to her liking. Finally, she met a very handsome man named Joshua Parker who had a lot of money, a grown daughter, and twin children of his own. The three of them got along very well at first, so Liz and Joshua agreed to solve their financial problems by getting married and joining their two family's together. They lived in the house of the little girl.

While things seemed to be working for the girl at the eldest Parker daughter, the twin brother and sister were growing jealous of the little girl's dainty beauty and charming smile. They always crossed their arms and scowled at the way she charmed anyone she met with just a touch of her hand.

It wasn't long before Liz would pass away as well. Now the girl was only 10 years old with no real family of her own. She had the eldest Parker daughter as her dearest friend and sister, but Joshua's heart began to darken for the jealousy of his twin children. In order to solve their problems, Joshua forced the little girl to be the maid of her own house and to wait hand and foot on his only three children. The eldest Parker daughter grew angry with this and left for college, estranging herself from the family in order to get a new start.

Seven years would pass until the little girl grew into a beautiful young woman with a heart too big for her body and an imagination larger than her own head. Caroline Forbes was by far the most perfect woman in the world, but was forever to be hidden behind rags and ashes on her face. As much as she wanted to avoid it, she had to listen to her stepsister and brother whenever they laughed in her face and called her Cinderella. No matter what she heard of what people thought of her, Caroline patiently waited for the day she would get a letter from any place in the world telling her it was time to leave her horrible home and do whatever she wanted.


	2. Me Who Am I?

**AN: Hi everyone! This is my first official Steroline fic so I hope you all enjoy it! I won't post a lot of AN's for the sake of people just wanting to get on with the story instead of reading my lame comments. So without further ado, the second chapter!**

* * *

There is not much to complain about when one lives in the hills of California bordering the city of Los Angeles. Everything is luxurious and overdone while people wait on richer people hand and foot without complaint. That was the life of the Salvatore's who lived in a grand stately mansion on the side of a hill by itself. No one ever came to their house because no one was ever invited in. There were two brothers who lived inside and they kept to themselves for fear of getting people involved in their mess of a personal life. That didn't matter. Everything was sweet without other people interfering.

On a good morning, Stefan Salvatore would get up, throw on a white tank top with his plaid pajama shorts and maybe do some push-ups if he had enough energy. He wasn't the supposed hottest guy in school for no reason. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Stefan was quite the handsome guy. He was only 17 years old and he had a toned body, good bone structure, and a sweet personality to match.

Next, Stefan would brush out his hair so it was neat and tidy, then he would head down his stairs and start to find his favorite box of cereal for breakfast. This time, however, he found his older and bigger headed brother lounging on the couch, crunching something in his mouth with a blue box in his lap.

"Damon," Stefan sighed, "You're eating my frosted flakes."

The dark haired brother looked down at his lap and shrugged, "We're switching things up today, brother."

"How so?" Stefan asked.

"Look who decided to grace us with her presence before rushing off to the office?" Damon said with a smile.

From the outer terrace and into the living room marched Lily Salvatore, the most successful actress in Hollywood. She was known as America's favorite mother, both working and "raising" two boys of her own. Stefan and Damon were like her trophies more than her sons, which is what both boys grew up to believe. When mother dearest stepped into the room, both of them rolled their eyes.

"Good morning my beautiful boy!" Lily said excitedly, quickly rushing to Stefan and kissing his cheek.

"Good morning, mother," Stefan said plainly.

"How did you sleep?" she asked, pressing her hands together hopefully.

"Why do you care?" Stefan asked, raising his eyebrows and walking over to Damon, "because the last time we actually saw you come home from work before we fell asleep, we were twelve."

"I was thirteen," Damon added.

Stefan mockingly laughed at him and snatched his box from Damon's grasp.

"Well if you must know," Lily said, "I've been missing my boys lately, so I thought I'd stop by and check up on you."

"Uh huh," both of them said.

"Now tell us what you're really up to, mom," Damon said, "You've never bothered to check up on us before. What do you want?"

"Can't you tell?" Stefan asked, taking a seat next to his brother, "Mother needs us to be her devoted and loving sons in public so she looks just as sweet and nurturing as ever."

Lily gasped, "I am so shocked that you boys think so lowly of me!"

They raised their eye brows.

"Fine," she sighed, "I got a call from my studio last night. They said I'm starting to look overprotective since my sons don't seem to be dating anyone."

"You? Overprotective?" Stefan asked, "Why don't you just tell them we're raising ourselves so we don't have to date random girls and you still keep up your image."

"Hold on, brother," Damon said, "Maybe meeting a few girls isn't such a bad idea."

"Is that what you're asking us to do?" Stefan asked, "You want us to get girlfriends so you don't look bad."

"Not just me!" Lily said, "You'll look desirable if you're seen dating other girls."

"Yes because our dashing good looks don't make us desirable enough," Damon scoffed, "Thank you, mother."

"You know what I mean!" Lily protested, "Will you do it? Will you at least try?"

Damon shrugged, "I'll give it a shot."

"You've got to be kidding me," Stefan muttered.

"Good!" Lily clapped, "I have to go to the lot now, but I promise this will be good for all of us."

She bent down and pinched both of their cheeks before clicking her heels quickly out of the door.

"Really, Damon?" Stefan said, rolling his eyes.

"What?"

"You'd sell yourself out just for the camera?"

Damon shrugged, "Hey, I guess it's just another day in the life of Prince Charming, isn't it, Stefan?"

Stefan groaned, "Enough with the Prince Charming thing, okay?"

"I didn't give you that nickname," Damon said, "The girls who are madly obsessed with you did... Hey! Why don't you just take one of them out."

Stefan shivered, "God no. Who knows what kind of legal things I'd have to go through to get rid of them."

Damon laughed and snatched the box from Stefan's hands.

"Hey!"

"No time to eat. We're gonna be late for school."

Stefan sighed and got up before going up the stairs and changing into a pair of jeans and a casual t-shirt for school. It wasn't that deep to dress for a school day. There was no need to dress up in a leather jacket to look good, even if Damon thought that was the way to go. Damon was the one who usually drove the car to school as Stefan sat in the passenger seat watching all of the craziness of Hollywood pass him by. Things seemed to get simpler as school got closer and closer, but still the hype of an adoring crowd surrounded the brothers wherever they went.

Normally, girls would come up to Damon and Stefan, asking them if they'd sit with them at lunch or if they'd take them to one of their mother's movie sets. They would try to get inside the building, but the crowd could barely fit through the door. It would last until they got to their lockers next to each other and the first warning bell went off.

"Alright ladies, that's enough for right now," Damon said, "Why don't you meet us in the cafeteria at lunch."

They giggled and said yes in various high pitched and flirtatious voices. The girls backed up down the hall, not seeing who was behind them as they continued in their path.

"Ow!"

As the girls faded away, a blonde girl was on the ground with her books all over the floor with two other girls watching her in shock.

"Are you okay?" the short-haired girl asked the blonde.

Stefan and Damon saw this happening and ran to the group of three girls.

"I'm sorry about that," Stefan said, not seeing the blonde's face.

"It's not your fault," she sighed, picking up her books one by one, "It's those girls who mindlessly chase around those pompous snobs."

Ignoring the comment, Stefan handed her a book and the blonde girl took it, looking up at him and her mouth opening wide. He laughed a little bit at her reaction.

"Just like those ignorant popular guys," he chuckled, "Not caring if they're in anybody's way."

She shrugged and took the book from his hand. "Thanks... sorry about that-."

"Don't apologize," Stefan said, "I get how hard it must be... going around unnoticed so no one cares if they're knocking you down."

The blonde looked like she wanted to laugh, but she let out a small "ha".

He got up and put the last book on her pile that was resting in her arms. "I've seen you around here before... what do people call you?"

She laughed, "That you don't wanna know..."

"Then what's your name?"

"Caroline..." she said, "Caroline Forbes."

"Caroline Forbes," Stefan repeated, "I like it."

She shrugged, "It grows on you, I guess."

The other brother resting his arm against the lockers suddenly lost his mojo when he caught sight of the familiar brunette with her only book held tightly to her chest, her red highlights showing brightly on the front of her hair.

"Hey Elena..." Damon said with a giggle.

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but shrugged her shoulders and ended up taking a deep breath instead.

"H-Hi," was the only thing she said back as Bonnie Bennett stood next to her, biting her tongue. Meanwhile, Stefan and Caroline were still staring at each other.

This kind of moment would be either really embarrassing or really magical, so of course, Liv Parker has to burst into the scene and ruin Caroline's moment.

"Hey Stefan," Liv said, leaning up against the locker so her bare waist was showing, "I haven't seen you around in a while."

"Yeah you have..." Stefan said, "I see you in History pretty much every day."

Liv giggled and twirled her finger in her hair, "Of course you do! God, you're so smart..."

"Uh huh..." Stefan said awkwardly, backing up with his hands in his pocket at the sound of the bell, "I'll see you around Liv... Nice meeting you, Caroline."

Caroline raised her hand in the air, hoping it would turn into a wave, but her fingers seemed numb to the action.

"Ugh, what is your problem?" Liv spat with a scowl at Caroline. She was soon joined by her equally intimidating twin brother, Luke.

"Nothing..." Caroline said quietly, "I just fell. He was being nice. That's all."

"Well don't even think about being nice back," Liv said.

"That's right," Luke added, "All of these other girls like to think they can get Stefan Salvatore, but in the end, it's going to be Liv that he chooses."

"Wow you guys are seriously wound up a little too tight," Caroline laughed, "I have no interest in Stefan like that, so no need to worry."

"Do you think we're stupid?!" Liv yelled, "You're pathetic. A joke. Invisible."

"How'd you like to see my invisible fist?!" Bonnie yelled back. She took a few steps forward, but was stopped by Caroline's arms.

"Whatever," Liv said, shaking her head, "You guys are losers."

Liv and Luke turned away, to the delight of Caroline and her friends. It took them a while for them to say something as they watched their seriously overly dramatic strut down the hallways while literally no one else watched or cared.

"I can't believe you put up with those two," Bonnie said, rolling up her sleeves.

"I think the fact that she's stayed so long shows her strength," Elena said.

"Besides," Caroline said, "I'm just waiting until I leave for college when I can do whatever whenever I want and nobody can stand in my way."

"Still," Bonnie said with a shrug, "If I were you, I would have beaten both of their asses a long time ago."

Caroline has always dreamed of the day she finally gets to say whatever she wants to her two awful step-siblings without fear of what will happen next. For now, she would have to ride home on her crummy little bike while Liv and Luke traveled in their italian sports cars. She never let it get to her head, though. She liked her bike and didn't want to ask for anything more.

When she got home, she propped her bike against the wrack and locked it in place before going down into the depths of her work space; aka: the kitchen. There was a long winding staircase next to the kitchen space in the basement that lead to where the "civilized people" eat meals. According to Caroline's step-family, it was uncivilized to eat on the same floor where your food is made. She never understood it.

The second Caroline threw her bag down on the kitchen counter, a voice rang through the walls as thundering footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.

"Ah good!" Joshua said, slamming a yellow piece of paper onto the counter, "You're home! Get started now."

"On what?" Caroline asked, "I just finished a list for you this morning."

"But there is always much to be done," Joshua said, "Don't you know that a maid's job is never done? Hurry up and finish. I'm so glad you don't have a social life so you have the time to work."

He smiled and rushed back up the stairs. Caroline rested her left hand and picked up the paper, which was actually folded and fell almost to the floor. She groaned and threw her face into the granite of the table.

At least there were the nights right before she went to bed when she didn't have to hear anyone calling her name and yelling at her to do something ridiculous. In her bedroom, she had her own little rocking chair that rested in a corner right by a window with a journal that rested beside it. Every night, if something came to her head, she would sit down in her corner with a pencil and write in her journal, except she never wrote about actual events in her life. She would only write herself a better life in a fantasy land where nothing would ever go wrong. In her journal, she could be whatever she wanted to be. But the only her dreams could come true were in the contents of that journal. It was sad to have to put down the pencil and come back to reality, but at least she had a fantasy to escape to whenever things got hard.


	3. The Prince is Giving a Ball

"I've got it!" Lily announced as she paraded down the stairs of the Salvatore house. Stefan and Damon, who were sitting peacefully in their sofa in front of their TV, suddenly turned their heads.

"What have you got, mother?" Damon asked, a little concerned.

"I've got the perfect idea to get wonderful publicity for you both and maintain all of our healthy images," Lily clapped.

"Mother, I'm sure we're thrilled that you think so highly of us that we can get a girl whenever we want, but picking one for us is an option I'm not willing to accept," Stefan argued, casually.

"Of course, darling," Lily said, sitting herself down next to Stefan, "Which is why you're going to pick for yourselves at your birthday masquerade ball!"

"You hear that, brother?" Damon mocked, "The prince is giving a ball!"

"Shut up," Stefan said, throwing a pillow at his brother.

"Oh come on," Damon sighed, grabbing the pillow and hugging it to his chest, "It sounds like fun! Women in masks throwing themselves at you and you won't even be able to see their faces, so you can act like it never happened."

"Forget it, Damon," Stefan said, "I really don't feel like having ANOTHER ball supporting my mother's foolish attempts at getting me a girlfriend."

"Don't say emphasize the word ANOTHER like it's happened a lot," Damon said, "It's only happened like..."

"Five times," Stefan groaned.

"No!" Damon gasped, "Has it really been five times?"

"No it hasn't!" Lily argued, "Only four!"

"Either way," Stefan said, "We're not having another ball."

"Yes we are," Lily declared, "What you boys are failing to remember is that we have an image to keep up."

Both of Lily's son's leaned back onto the couch with a groan while rubbing their eyes and stretching their arms.

"We get it," Stefan sighed, "You want Damon and I to get into good relationships so the public knows that you're a good mother on and off the screen."

"We've heard this speech a thousand times," Damon said, "we don't need to hear it again. We get it."

"Good! Then it's settled," Lily said, happily, standing up and clapping her hands together, "We're having another ball! Happy Birthday, Stefan!"

"If this is for my birthday, then this ball should be on my terms," Stefan said, "I will not stand around and let you introduce me every pretty girl you lay eyes on. I'll find her my own way."

"Fine," Lily nodded, "As long as you keep your mind open."

"When do I not?" Stefan said with a smug grin.

Lily smiled and touched her cheeks with her index fingers. Both of her sons rolled their eyes and stood up, dragged themselves over to either side of their mother and kissed her cheeks. She smiled happily.

"I love my boys," she said proudly.

Almost automatically and robotically, they responded, "We love you too, mother."

Stefan's phone beeped in his pocket and he picked it up, looking at it for a moment before groaning.

"I gotta go," he said, heading for the front door.

"Whoa! Where do you think you're going?" Damon asked.

Stefan turned around, "Matt needs my help."

"Alright," Damon shrugged, "Can you actually recruit the quarterback to do some heavy lifting for the-."

The door slammed and Damon sighed, sitting back down on the coach.

"Damon," Lily said, taking a notepad and paper, throwing it in his lap, "We're going to start handing out flyers and invitations IMMEDIATELY! First, we're going to need a declaration from Stefan himself that he will dance with every girl at the ball until he chooses the one he wants."

"Mother, I don't mean to pry," Damon interrupted, "Actually I do mean to pry, but that's beside the point. I don't think this is what Stefan meant when he was talking about finding a girl on his own-"

"Sweetheart, just take this down," Lily said sweetly, beginning a grand pace around the living room, "Let it be known that Stefan Octavius Salvatore-."

"Octavius?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows, "I know for a FACT that Stefan definitely does not want his middle name on the poster."

"Damon. Octavius," Lily said sharply, "Anyway, where was I? Stefan Octavius Salvatore is giving a ball to celebrate his 18th Birthday!"

Damon scribbled the words on the notepad as her mother elegantly proclaimed them. He held it up and looked at it for a moment. Lily ran behind him and looked at the yellow lined paper with the blue ink writing. She smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Perfect!" she cheered, "Have that printed and put them up all over the school and wherever you kids hang out these days."

"So you expect me to go prancing out all over Los Angeles shouting 'the prince is giving a ball'?" Damon frowned.

"Yes!" Lily smiled, "Now you're getting it! Go on then, darling."

Lily's phone rang and she kissed the back of Damon's head before answering the phone. Damon frowned at the paper again and drew several lines over "Octavius" on the paper, feeling slightly better about himself afterwards. Shortly afterwards, Damon picked up Xeroxed copies of a fancy flyer that was redesigned by professionals. Soon, him and several other hired people were walking all over the mall nearest to the high school on a Saturday afternoon. Damon couldn't be more prouder of his timing.

"Stefan Salvatore is having a masquerade birthday ball!" he shouted, "EVERYONE is invited! Come one and all! Did I also mention he's planning on dancing with every girl who attends?"

The area around Damon was suddenly filled with girls with their arms stretched out toward him as he handed flyers out to each and every one of them. Every time one of the arms disappeared, another would grow back in its place. It almost scared Damon.

Luke, being one of the only boys who emerged from the crowd, looked at the detail of the flyer and found the date and time. He listened in on the girls whispering about how Stefan is going to fall in love by the end of the night. Having Stefan Salvatore fall in love with Liv was the one thing that he knew was going to shut her up for life. He quickly rushed into the nail salon, not caring about the wondering eyes that followed him once he stepped inside, and held the flyer out to Liv, who was sitting in a pedicure spa chair.

"Luke, you know I can't hold that," she said, raising her newly waxed eyebrows and freshly painted fingers.

"Whatever," Luke said, "Stefan Salvatore is hosting a masquerade birthday ball."

"Shut up!" Liv cried, snatching the flyer from him.

"Miss Parker, your nails," the pedicurist warned her.

"Oh bite me," Liv snapped, continuing to read the flyer, "and what are they saying about this ball?"

"Damon's letting all the girls know that Stefan is willing to dance with any girl who attends."

"This is it!" Liv said triumphantly, "This will be the night when Stefan Salvatore finally falls in love with me! This is the first step to my future, Luke."

"Yeah, whatever," Luke said, shaking his head, "We just need to tell dad so he can give us money to buy us outfits-."

"Ugh! No," Liv said with a gag, "Anything dad wants to buy for us is going to be frumpy and ancient. We're paying for this ourselves."

"But dad will-."

"I don't care what dad says," she protested, "When have I ever cared what dad says?"

"When you come home at midnight drunk off your ass and you say 'Luke, dad can't see me like this. Hide me'."

"Shut up," she said rolling her eyes, "I didn't ask for an example."

"I'm just saying, life would be a whole lot easier if you just told dad you want to be called Liv instead of Olivia and you want some more freedom in your life. Maybe then he'll actually start accepting his gay son who wants to be called Luke."

"Whatever! I didn't ask for your commentary either!" Liv screeched. She looked around afterwards and saw the judgmental glares, so she lowered her voice to a whisper, "After my nails dry, we are getting a dress that will make Stefan Salvatore gasp when he sees me. He won't be able to keep his hands off me... I bet he's just dying in anticipation."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Stefan said when he walked into the mall and saw a flyer for the ball on the glass door.

"You're having a birthday ball?" Matt asked, taking the flyer down, "That's a little ancient, don't you think?"

"I know, so is my mother's ideals," Stefan complained and snatched the flyer from Matt's hand. The two of them walked into the mall and saw Damon stapling flyers to walls and taping them on store windows, "Damon! What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh hey, Stefan!" Damon said, trying to be sweet, "Good news! You're throwing a party next weekend."

"How could I miss it?" Stefan said, "There are people literally saying the words Stefan, birthday, ball, and girl all over the mall. Did mom make you do this?"

He nodded, "Right after you left."

Stefan threw his hands in his hair, "I can't believe you went behind my back."

"Our mother may seem sweet, but she's very threatening," Damon said, then looked over to Matt behind Stefan's shoulder, "Don't be deceived by her America's Sweetheart demeanor."

"No, this isn't happening," Stefan protested, "I'm calling it off right now. This is too big of a deal."

"How can it not be?" Damon asked, "You're one of the Salvatores. Everyone adores us! Besides, you get to dance with every girl in school. Literally, there is not one guy in the world who doesn't wanna be you right now."

Matt shrugged, "That's a little true. I wouldn't mind a chance to dance with Elena Gilbert..."

"Alright, that's enough out of you," Damon hushed Matt, "How is this NOT on your terms? You wanted to find a girl without any pushing-."

"And dancing with every girl at school feels a little like pushing," Stefan argued.

"BUT you have to right to reject them," Damon said, "Think about it, you've danced with a million girls halfway through the night. You think you're tired and done for and you're ready to give up. Suddenly, your gaze wonders to the top of the stairs and BOOM! There she is! The girl of your dreams! Everyone's staring at her because she's so beautiful yet no one knows who she is behind the mask. But she wants to dance with YOU because you're the guy everyone's talking about. You therefore have the girl of your dreams all to yourself and everyone envies you. Huh? Sound like a plan?"

Stefan paused and started to imagine what Damon was talking about. While it was incredibly cheesy and sounded like the plot of a fairytale, he had to admit that it sounded a little intriguing.

"Fine," Stefan sighed, "I'll play along. But if I don't find a girl, we drop this subject and no one pushes me about finding a girlfriend. Deal?"

"Deal," Damon said, patting his brother's back.

Just then, Damon's phone vibrated in his pocket. He picked it up and his eyes looked wide at the screen.

"What's that?" Stefan asked.

"A list from mother," Damon said, "I'm going to have to hire somebody to get all of this stuff. I'll see you later, bro."

"Later. I'm going home," Stefan waved and they headed off in opposite directions.

As Damon headed toward his first destination, he bumped into someone and paused to look back. Once he saw the brown eyes with straight brown hair to match, he knew his list would have to be put on hold for just a little bit because Elena Gilbert was now standing in front him. Usually she had her girls around her and Damon was surprised to see that she was along as far as he was concerned. Elena's cheeks started to turn pink as she looked at the ground. Both of hem opened their mouthes to speak, but Damon was the only one who could make sound come out.

"Hi..." Damon said softly.

Elena started to speak, but nothing was coming out. Her nervousness made Damon nervous, so they eventually smiled, shrugged, and turned away. Elena threw her face in her hands as Bonnie and Caroline laughed on either side of her.

"Hi? That's it?" Bonnie chuckled.

"Shush," Elena whined, "I'm no good with words around him."

"You can't seem to form any words at all with him," Caroline laughed.

"Ha ha," Elena said, looking ahead and finding flyers all over the place, seeing almost every person in the mall with one in their hand.

Caroline approached a bench that had a stack of them on it and she picked it up.

"Stefan Salvatore is hosting a Masquerade Birthday Ball. Everyone is invited," she read.

"And it's next weekend," Elena said, taking the flyer out of Caroline's hand.

"Prince Charming is giving a ball?" Caroline mocked, "Of course he is."

"We should go!" Bonnie encouraged.

"Why? So Elena can look at Damon and say "Hi" again?" Caroline laughed.

Elena playfully pushed Caroline's shoulder.

"It'll be fun!" Bonnie said excitedly, "We'll get to dress up in big gowns, wear a mask, be three completely different people for one evening. Come on, we all know Caroline could use a night off."

"No..." Caroline said, looking at the ground, "I couldn't. It wouldn't be right for someone like me to be at a party like that."

"Listen to yourself!" Bonnie said, "You sound like your evil stepfather! Can't you just ask to take one night off just to be a regular high school girl instead of a house maid?"

"He'll say no," she said, "There's no point in asking."

Caroline walked ahead of them, away from the stack of flyers. Bonnie and Elena looked at each other as if Caroline was crazy not to want to go to a glamorous ball for one night just to have a little fun. They quickly followed after her, but she was already way ahead of them, standing in front of a window to a store with a dress in the window. It was bright pink all around with a white neck line and a light pink bow in the back. She sighed and started to remember why she hated working for her stepfamily so much. She turned to Bonnie and Elena proudly.

"You know what? I'm gonna ask my stepdad if I can go to the ball," Caroline said confidently, "I'm gonna make it impossible for him to say no."

"That's the spirit!" Bonnie cheered.

* * *

A sports car pulled up in front of the Parker Mansion that same day as Liv and Luke came out of the back, followed by Joshua shortly after from the passenger seat. The driver turned around and headed straight for the garage. Caroline held in her hands a tray full of each of their favorite snacks. Apples and peanut butter for Luke, a non-fat no calorie milkshake for Liv, and a beer for Joshua.

When they entered into the house, Joshua walked right past Caroline and sat on the couch.

"Olivia, Caroline and Lucas are taking you out dress shopping tomorrow after school for Stefan's birthday party," Joshua called as Liv ignored him and Caroline, walking up the steps.

Luke stopped in front of Caroline and smiled at her, taking the apples and peanut butter.

"Ooh! My favorite," Luke said happily, "Thanks."

"No problem," Caroline said.

Luke headed up the stairs and Caroline placed the tray on the coffee table in front of Joshua.

"Actually, about Stefan's birthday party-."

"Great! I'm so glad you mentioned that," Joshua said excitedly, "We're having the After Party here so I need you to stay and make sure the house is ready for it."

"Oh..." Caroline sighed, "Well, since Stefan is inviting all of our school to the party, I was thinking maybe I could go too. It would just be one night and I can even come home early and set up for the After Party."

Joshua chuckled and sat forward on the couch. "Caroline... Stefan Salvatore is the host of this party. The Salvatore Family are very high up in the social monarchy. If this were a fairytale kingdom, his mother would be the queen, he and his brother would be princes, I would be a noble man with my two noble children, and you would be our scullery maid. Now really, do you think the princes would want a scullery maid at the palace unless they were working? I doubt it. Use your social standing for where it's most needed: here, cleaning the house where you belong."

"But-."

"Do not deny me," Joshua said strictly, "Now go make your brother and sister dinner. They seem hungry."

Joshua got up and left the room, leaving Caroline alone in the living room in shock.

"Caroline!" he said sharply, causing her to jump in her skin.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "Dinner will be ready within the hour."

"That's more like it," he said.

Caroline got up and headed down the long winding staircase that lead to the basement kitchen. She went to the stove and began to turn it on, but when it wouldn't even spark, she gave up on it and a tear fell down her face. She tried again and it worked this time, so she put the pot of water on the stove. She moved to the counter in the middle of the kitchen and opened the cabinet to reveal the books she kept down there to entertain herself. Her journal rested at the top, so she picked it up and started to read her own stories she wrote about herself. On the first page, she read about being a princess in the desert, rich with priceless fabrics and people bending to her ever will, with men all around her who go mad for her while she sits confidently on her throne. She grinned and turned the page again to her more adventurous stories. Caroline was a bandit in a poor village, scraping for food and never getting caught. She was always searching for danger and facing it head on. On one of her adventures, she went into a jungle and suddenly came face to face with a wild cheetah. The whistle of the boiling water went off and she dropped the diary to turn the water down and get the pasta box from the cabinet.

After she finished setting the pasta to cook, she picked up the diary where she dropped it on the counter and found the page where she drew herself as Cinderella at the ball. She had to laugh at her 12 year old self when she wrote this, thinking that her life as a maid in her own mother's house was going to get better and turn out okay for her in the end. So far, things were looking pretty bleak. Caroline tore the page out and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it into the trash bin. It was better to escape entirely than imagine a fake version of this life where things are magical and happy. She had to wait until college, and even then, she would never be free of the torture she endured. She turned the page again and continued to read as she took a deep breath in, and breathed out.


	4. Falling In Love With Love

Liv was sitting on a cushiony pink stool in front of her vanity mirror that was surrounded by bright lights. Everything was pink, but often times, she threw black lace over it to make it feel more like her own space. The room adjoining to hers belonged to her brother. The problem with having a thinner wall between their two rooms was that Luke could constantly hear what Liv was saying on the phone to her friends.

"Yeah," she laughed loudly, "Okay great! And I'll grab the black dress from you when I get there. It has to be before I make my grand entrance," she paused as the person on the other line spoke, "No! I have to walk in from the top of the staircase. It has to be perfect."

Moments later, she hung up the phone. That's when Luke walked into her side of the suite.

"I hate to rudely interrupt," Luke said, "but why don't you just wear whatever dress you want to the ball?"

"I have to follow what dad says," Liv complained, "If I don't, I'll end up in the basement kitchen with Cinderella."

Luke shrugged, "Well I don't know about that... I kinda think Caroline is nice, sorta."

Liv glared at him and started to roll her eyes, making a repulsed sound with her mouth.

"She's our stepsister," Luke argued, "We could at least be nicer to her-."

"Never," Liv spat, "Caroline was always trying to be better than me when we were kids. Now that she bends to our every whim, I'm not giving that up. She's finally put in the place where she belongs."

"Fine," Luke said, backing up from his twin sister, "All I'm saying is if you stop worrying about dad judging you all the time, you could actually enjoy life in this house."

"You know what?" Liv said, "I'll tell dad I want to be called Liv, wear black, smoke pot, and go out to parties when you tell dad that you want to be called Luke and you're gay."

Luke stared at the floor, his face starting to turn red after Liv said it so loudly.

"Fine..." he muttered, "but I'm not happy about it."

Liv groaned and rolled her eyes, "A fantasy life where everything goes your way is exactly that; a fantasy."

Luke knew this speech far too well. It was practically the bedtime story that put him and his sister to sleep every night. Falling for a fantasy love was unrealistic. A perfect love doesn't exist and trusting people are for naïve people who don't understand what it means to be a mature adult. That was the sad reality they lived in.

Meanwhile, Caroline walked into her bedroom at least two stories higher and plopped on the bed, completely exhausted with red feet and hands. Elena and Bonnie were sitting on the bed with wide eyes.

"Wow," Elena gasped, "You weren't kidding, they really do work you hard."

"I'm exhausted," Caroline said into her pillow.

"So I guess you're not up to going to the ball?" Bonnie asked.

"I told you," Caroline sighed, "Joshua said no, which means I'm not going and if he finds out I'm there, he'll skin me alive."

"Who said he's going to see you?" Bonnie said, "He wouldn't recognize you if you had a mask."

Elena pulled out a mask from behind her back and Bonnie got up off the bed, opening the closet to reveal the beautiful dress Caroline saw in the window of the shop they passed in the mall. Caroline sat up and gasped, touching her hands to her cheeks.

"You did this for me?" she asked.

"Of course we did!" Elena cheered, "Now hurry up and get dressed or we'll be late, and not in the cute way either."

Caroline jumped off the bed and touched the dress with her own two hands, "You guys... I thought I would be spending my night writing my journal about what the ball would have been like... now I get to go... thank you!"

Elena and Bonnie quickly helped Caroline into the dress and pinned her hair up above her head. She quickly threw on some makeup from her drawer and covered her face using her mask. They waited at the staircase until they heard the sound of the mansion door closing. Step-by-step, they made it down the stairs and tried to sneak out the back way.

When they reached the door, Liv turned the lights on and had her hand on her hip.

"I thought you try something sneaky," she spat.

Caroline looked around, "Where's Joshua?"

"Out," she said, "It's just you and me now Cinderella," Liv started to walk circles around Caroline as Elena held Bonnie back, "Did you really think you were going to go to the ball and steal what's rightfully mine?"

"I wasn't going to steal-."

"Shut up," she hissed, then looked at her in the dress up and down, "The dress is cute, I'll admit... but I think you have a little tear right there-." She ran her sharp finger nail down the side of the dress, causing a rip in the skirt. Caroline gasped. Bonnie started to charge forward, but Elena was holding her by her arms.

"Oops," Liv whispered, "I hope that didn't stop you from going..."

She grinned and threw her mask over her face, walking out of the house and shutting the door behind her. Caroline didn't move as she turned to the side and saw how the fabric now looked noticeably torn.

"Care-."

"Don't," Caroline hushed Elena, "I knew I was stupid to believe that things could change."

Moments later, Caroline bit on her lower up, trying not to let it quiver above her upper lip. She made the decision to simply run down the stairs and go to her basement kitchen where she could cry about losing a chance to have her night off. She felt the throbbing of her feet in those shoes and threw them to the other side of the room. In the kitchen by herself with a torn dress is where she felt like she belonged. She didn't belong with the popular high society people at the Salvatore's party. It wasn't where she belonged.

Bonnie and Elena could hear Caroline's cries from the top of the staircase. They looked at each other with their arms crossed.

"Time to call Jo?" Elena asked.

Bonnie nodded in agreement, "Time to call Jo."


	5. Impossible

Caroline burst into the kitchen, and sat on the ground so the kitchen table hid her from view. She saw her fingers stained with make up as she wiped her tears away and the torn dress she was wearing that looked so unlike her. She found her diary locked up in one of the drawers and started to read what she wrote the day she decided she wanted to go to the ball. She was wearing the same old dress that was on her, except she was standing in the middle of the dance floor with a mask, waiting for the next Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet, dancing with her as though they were flying around the room. She closed the book and wanted to throw it in a fire. All of those dreams were useless. All she really wanted was just to be normal for one night.

"Is that too much to ask..." she sobbed to herself.

"Now sweetheart, if you tried to be everyone else, then there would be nothing that makes you special."

Caroline knew that voice all too well. When she heard it, it stopped all of the tears and all of the wailing. She leaned over and looked at the stairs to see Jo standing there on the stairs with her hand on her hip.

"J-Jo?"

"Are you going to stand there on all fours like a complete mess or are you going to hug your real sister?" Jo said with a grin.

Caroline smiled and picked herself up, tossing her shoes to the side and running into her big step-sister's arms.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked.

"Bonnie and Elena called me," she explained, "They were so worried about you that they had to bring me down here to make sure you're not a safety hazard."

"No," Caroline chuckled, sniffing one last time, "I'm fine. I'm really happy you're here. Now I don't feel bad about ordering food and watching soap operas on the DVR all night long."

Jo raised her eyebrows judgmentally, "Or we could get you ready for the ball."

"I already tried," Caroline said, touching the place where the dress had the most damage, "There's no point in trying to get a girl like me to a party like that for a guy like him. It's impossible."

Jo scoffed and shook her head, "Now what's that I always told you when you were a little girl after mama died?"

Caroline shrugged, pretending not to remember, but then she was met with Jo's glare again, so Caroline sighed. "Impossible things can happen if dreamers, like you, have faith."

"Exactly," Jo said, poking Caroline's nose playfully, "Now come on, we're gonna be late to the ball."

"I can't," Caroline said, "What if the step demons and Josh get back before me? I'm dead if they find out I went."

"That's the beauty of a masquerade," Jo said, "You can go in a mask so they'll never see you there... and we'll get you out at midnight. There's no way they'll be back home before then. So what do you say? Wanna make something impossible?"

She held out her arm and Caroline hesitated before smiling and taking her arm. The two of them walked out of the house together into her limo that brought her here. Bonnie and Elena rushed in, wearing their dresses and masks. It only took Caroline forever to find a dress that she liked because she was hesitant to go. She was too afraid that she wasn't going to fit in or belong. Sure, the dream was starting to become more possible, but she still had to do the actual work to make it come true.

After Caroline rid her body of a horrid yellow dress from one of the racks, she found a strapless blue gown that went all the way down to the ground like a princess dress. She touch the surprisingly soft fabric and was in awe of it. It was perfect. Caroline stepped into the dress and walked out of the dressing room only to be met by gasps from Jo, Elena, and Bonnie.

"Care..." Bonnie breathed.

"You look like a princess," Jo said sweetly.

"Like one out of those cartoons or something," Elena added.

"I think this is the one," Caroline said as she approached a mirror, twirling around in the dress a few more times.

"Good," Jo said, standing up and handing a box to Caroline, "These are your shoes. They have never steered me wrong and I'm sure this pair won't steer you wrong as well."

Caroline opened the box and saw silver heels with straps that would wrap around her foot to her ankle, keeping her secure throughout the whole dance.

"Before you burst into tears and thank me," Jo said, placing a hairpiece onto the box that looked like it would stick to the side of a bun, but it was an intricate pattern with pure diamonds, "This was given to me by your mother as my going away present to do with as I pleased. She thought I could sell it and make some real money. Turns out, I did that all on my own, so now I'm giving it to its rightful owner... you."

Jo moved to the side of Caroline and fastened the piece onto the side of Caroline's bun. "There... now you're ready."

They purchased the dress, a mask, and the shoes and the three of them were off into the limo again. The whole time Caroline was shaking, knowing all of this was actually possible. She had everything she had to make herself feel beautiful and special. Elena and Bonnie were on either side of her, ready to help her at a moment's notice if need be. Still, Bonnie continued to tease Elena about possibly finding Damon Salvatore in a mask. However, every time the Salvatore name was mentioned, she thought of Stefan. There was a possibility she would dance with Stefan, but it wasn't likely. She was happy to be going anyway.

When the limo pulled up to the front of the ballroom, Jo stepped out and let all of the girls out. Bonnie and Elena immediately went inside and Caroline almost followed her, but turned to Jo one last time, straightening herself out.

"How do I look?" she asked.

Jo pressed her lips together and pushed back a piece of her hair and adjusted her mask. "There," she said proudly, "Now you can be a princess and remember it for the rest of your life."

Caroline smiled and pulled Jo in for a giant hug, which Jo wasn't really used to, but it made her chuckle. "Thank you," Caroline whispered, "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Aw, sweetie," Jo said, patting Caroline's back, "Yes you could have... you just needed me to push, that's all... now go before some tramp snatches up your man."

Caroline giggled and watched as the limo drove away. Bonnie and Elena came back outside and took either one of her hands. They all squealed with each other to get the nerves out and then started to walk inside the ballroom.


	6. Ten Minutes Ago

It was possibly the worst song ever that the orchestra chose to play while Stefan Salvatore stood in the middle of the dance floor, waiting for his brother to bring him another eager-eyed girl who was desperate to use that minute while they were dancing with him to convince him that she was his perfect woman. This included several pick up lines, poetry excerpts, and awfully sung lines from awful love songs. Stefan was in hell while wearing a three piece suit and no mask like everyone else.

Damon brought to him another girl, this one wearing all black with outrageously curly hair and a cheesy smile. The expression on Damon's face clued Stefan in that this was probably his worst nightmare; so Liv Parker.

"Hey Stefan," Liv said flirtatiously as she took his hand and began dancing, "You look dashing today. Absolutely sleek."

"Thank you," Stefan said uncomfortably, "Are you enjoying yourself tonight?"

"Now more than ever," Liv swooned, "You know, I've always dreamt of this moment. It must be a sign that we're meant to be together, since my dream came true."

"I'm sure it is..."

"I knew you'd think so. I also dreamt that we owned a mansion on the hill a few blocks from the one where I grew up in. Of course, you were famous for being an actor like your mom and I was a stay at home mom with our twin children," Liv said dreamily, "It was like a fairytale."

Stefan's eyes widened as he spun Liv around, glaring at Damon and mouthing, "Help me!"

Damon nodded and started to walk up to Liv and Stefan right as the music ended. Everyone stopped dancing and clapped for a minute. That was when Damon took a microphone and looked to the line of ladies that was going out the door.

"Ladies! Stefan is going to take a break," he announced, "No, you may not wait in line. Please, enjoy the food, socialize. I'll announce when you can get back in line."

The girls sighed and pouted for a moment, but caught a glimpse at the chocolate fountain on the snack table and immediately got over it. Stefan walked off the dance floor and to the hallway by the men's room.

"Kill me now," Stefan groaned, "I can't take any more of this. I need a break longer than 5 minutes."

"I know," Damon said, pulling out a mask from his inner jacket pocket and handing it to his brother, "New tux is in the bathroom stall. You have until midnight."

"Really?" Stefan asked, surprised, "You mean it?"

"Just take the mask and go before I change my mind about going against mother's wishes," Damon said, "I'll tell her you got sick or something. Hopefully she's too drunk herself to see that it's you behind that mask in a different tux."

Stefan laughed and took the mask, placing it on his face and going into the bathroom. When he came back out, he was wearing a regular black tux in contrast to his white jacket lined with sleek black silk. It was nice to dress like a regular guy for once. When Stefan came out of the bathroom, he felt more refreshed and confident than ever before.

"Wish me luck," Stefan said, "I'm about to find a real girl. Just watch."

"Good luck," Damon said, following him out of the hallway and into the crowd of people, "but I should warn you, most of the girls here are nuts whether they know who you are or not."

"I can spot out a genuine one when I see her," Stefan said confidently.

Right as he said that, he turned and looked to the stairs where three latecomers started to walk in. There were three girls in ballgowns. One was yellow on the far left, the other was red on the far right, but the girl in the middle had her hair up in an elegant blonde bun while wearing the most beautiful blue dress Stefan had ever seen in his life. He had seen a lot of ballgowns before, but never one that made a girl look like that.

Caroline suddenly didn't have the courage to keep walking down the stairs as she realized everyone was staring at them.

"I changed my mind," Caroline panicked, "I can't do this."

"Yes you can," Bonnie and Elena whispered, helping her down the stairs.

"Just breathe," Bonnie said, "You're not alone."

The three girls reached the bottom of the steps and as soon as the silver shoe on Caroline's foot hit the last step covered in the red carpet, Stefan approached her, not as himself, but as a random guy who just wanted her attention. Caroline couldn't recognize him anyway.

"Hello," Stefan said.

Caroline curtseyed and then immediately regretted it, so she responded with words, "Hello..."

Stefan held his hand out to Caroline, "You look absolutely stunning this evening... would you care for a dance?"

Bonnie and Elena started to pat Caroline's back, forcing her to say something to him. From the corner of Elena's eye, she saw another boy with dark hair, wearing a mask, who was staring at her like he was going to devour her. She blushed and instinctively took Bonnie's hand.

"Would you like to go to the punch bowl with me?" Elena asked Bonnie subtly.

Bonnie shrugged, knowing she had no choice and followed Elena to the left of the ballroom to the refreshment table. Damon followed after the girl in the red dress, leaving Stefan and Caroline alone at the bottom of the steps with his hand reached out to her.

"I'm still waiting on that dance," Stefan said with a chuckle, "You're allowed to say no. I'm not the best at first impressions."

Caroline looked around and saw the other people dancing on the floor to classical music that was fun and elegant. She smiled and took his hand with her white gloved hand. He lead her to the middle of the dance floor. Caroline hoped that while among other people, nobody would stare at her, but instead, everyone was staring at them both, waiting for them to start the next dance.

The music started to change to something mysterious but beautiful. Caroline was expressionless because she wasn't sure exactly what to feel while dancing with this random stranger. Stefan, however, was smiling at this girl in front of him. It was almost a miracle how he just met her a few moments ago, and yet his heart was beating so fast as he held her in his arms, dancing together.

"It's funny," Stefan said as they glided across the floor, "You think I'd recognize those eyes from somewhere."

Caroline pressed her lips together, knowing she had been made. It was only a matter of time now before he would recognize her and expose her to everyone as the creepy kitchen maid for Liv and Luke Parker. She gasped when Stefan spun her around and picked her up by the waist briefly, then she her down on her feet. She knew she had only imagined what flying felt like before, but she had never experienced it before, and that seemed like the closest thing to it. Even though she wanted to stay mysterious and secretive, she smiled anyway.

"Your smile..." Stefan said softly, "The smile of angels."

Caroline grinned, "You are full of compliments of tonight, good sir."

"Compliments...simple facts," Stefan shrugged, "All the same to me."

"Well you are very light on your feet," Caroline returned the compliment, "Not once have you stepped on my toes or fallen."

"I'd like to think I have a knack for it," Stefan bragged, "but that's me. What about you? You dance as if you're floating in the air. Someone like you has to be a dancer of some kind."

Caroline shook her head and raised her eyebrows, "Oh no, sir. If that's your way of trying to find out my identity, you are out of luck this evening."

"But madam," Stefan said, spinning her around by holding her waist once more, "Isn't that the fun of a masquerade? Finding out who everyone really is afterwards?"

"What about the secrecy? What about the mystery? I don't know about you, but my heart is racing because of it."

"No... my heart is racing for a different reason entirely..."

Caroline couldn't help but blush as the song ended and another song started. They hadn't noticed by now that they danced through three songs. From the crowd, Damon could hear the sounds of people whispering to each other, wondering who the handsome couple on the dance floor was and how they managed to stay together for all of that time. Truth be told, Damon couldn't be mad when he saw Stefan smile at this mystery girl. It was funny to Damon how he didn't understand how Stefan could be all over a girl whose face he couldn't see entirely, but then he figured out how when he caught a glimpse of that girl in the red dress.

Damon turned around and saw her standing there at the refreshment table again, but this time, by herself. Damon fixed his jacket and approached her before some other douche could. When he approached her, he held out his hand to her.

"M'lady," he said.

Elena shyly took his hand and tried to keep from blushing when he kissed her hand.

"I'm not quite sure exactly who you are," Damon said, "but I'm sure you are beautiful underneath that mask. Your dress also flatters you greatly."

"Thank you," Elena said with a smile, "Can I tell you a secret?" Damon leaned in with his ear toward her, "My friend and I made these ourselves."

"Did you?" Damon gasped.

"We're telling all the girls we found it at an expensive, exclusive designer's store, but our friend's big sister is a professional fashion designer, so we just got some pointers from her on how to make them in a short amount of time."

With the hand he was holding, Damon spun his mystery girl around and admired how the dress comfortably hugged each and every one of her curves, but still managed to look like a beautiful ballgown meant for a princess.

"Absolutely perfect," he breathed, "So what brings you here to the Salvatore party?"

Elena shrugged, "We needed a night off and this seemed like the perfect escape."

Damon was surprised to hear this, "Not excited to meet the famous Stefan Salvatore."

"I guess so," she said, "but we see him at school all the time. He may not see us, but does that mean we have to line ourselves up like it's the stone age? I hardly think so. Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure he's hiding somewhere and that couple on the dance floor seem like the happiest people here."

Damon looked from Stefan and his mystery girl to the one standing right in front of him. He held his hand out again/ "Maybe the 2nd happiest..."

Elena looked from his hand to his sly grin. She knew it would probably be a bad decision in the morning, but for now, she decided that they were in masks and now was the time to take chances. Happily, she grasped her mystery boy's hand and he took her arm, leading her to the dance floor as well. Elena looked over his shoulder to see Bonnie in her yellow dress, giving her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

For the whole next song, the four of them were on the dance floor together, circling each other and all of them smiling at the people they were dancing with. Finally, however, before the song ended, Stefan started to speak to his girl.

"Are you feeling tired?" he asked.

"Why would you ask that?" Caroline asked.

Stefan chuckled, "Because we have been dancing for a while."

Caroline looked around and found the clock, remembering that she must have arrived long before this hour. That's when she laughed too.

"I had no idea," she breathed.

"Me either," Stefan laughed, "I didn't notice until I looked at the clock. Would you like to retire to the garden with me?"

Caroline nodded and they separated. Stefan held out his arm and she took it. The people watching the four couples dancing parted to let Stefan and Caroline through to go through the large glass doors that led to the garden outside. Damon and Elena didn't stop dancing even though they were the only two left on the dance floor. Slowly but surely, people started to join them until they were in the center of the dance floor.

Stefan left the doors to the garden open as Liv and Luke watched him leave with the mystery girl. Liv crossed her arms.

"That has to be Stefan," Liv said proudly, "I'd know that hair and bone structure anywhere. I'll bet that girl doesn't even know who he's talking to."

"Liv-."

"Stay here and make sure no one follows me out," Liv demanded.

"What are you doing?" Luke complained, "Can't you just enjoy the ball?"

"Not until I'm back in Stefan's arms," Liv said, starting to find another way to get to the garden from the back.

In the garden, Stefan took Caroline to a little white bench by the large fountain. It faced the fountain exactly so people could see it and the silhouettes of the colorful dresses inside. Stefan was the first to offer Caroline a seat and then she patted the spot next to him. He bowed before sitting down, which made her laugh.

"Your laugh..." Stefan admired, "I love to make you laugh..."

Caroline hesitated before responding to the compliment, so she decided to ask something else instead. "Why did you choose to be with me tonight? You seem smooth and charming enough to have any girl here. Why me?"

"Easy," Stefan said, "All of the other girls here are wearing dresses that are as big and pompous as you can get. They all wanna get a glimpse of..." he almost said "me", but hesitated, "Stefan Salvatore..."

"Oh right!" Caroline gasped, "This party was for him! I had almost forgotten."

"You see, that right there is why I'd prefer you to any of these girls," Stefan explained, "You're genuine. You don't look like you dressed for a guy. You look like you dressed for yourself, to make yourself feel beautiful. Let me tell you, it worked. You are the most stunning girl here."

"And you aren't a jackass, which I like a lot," Caroline said, making Stefan laugh, "To be honest, I almost didn't come tonight. I thought I would never be able to have a good time because I'm not like anybody else."

"Why you let being different stop you?" Stefan asked.

"I didn't in the end. I mean, I'm here, aren't I? And now here you are... telling me you picked me out from all of these girls because I'm different."

"And I mean that too," Stefan said, taking her hand in his, "I mean every word."

"I know you do. Everything here feels so honest and good, like I can be myself and not worry about expectations or social standards. It's just me."

"I know exactly how you feel. Outside of this property, one could say I'm like... a prince charming or something. I always have to smile for the camera and keep up a certain image. Now I put on this tux and a mask and I can stop pretending to enjoy my life and live the one that I wanna live. If my mother could here us now, she would have a heart attack."

Caroline laughed, "If my stepfather could hear us now, he'd freak out too."

They enjoyed each other's company for a brief moment, just sitting there in silence with their hands touching. Caroline suddenly got up and started to look at her own reflection in the water. Stefan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder.

"Something tells me this is too good to be true," Stefan whispered.

"You have no idea how badly I want this to be real," Caroline whispered back.

Caroline looked over her should at Stefan and suddenly found herself being turned at the waist by her perfect mystery boy. They looked into each other's eyes for a lingering moment and started to lean in towards each other. With a loud click, the sprinklers started to go off. A smiling Liv was hiding in the bushes her her hand on the control lever. Caroline screeched and ducked away from the water, which caused her to lose her balance and fall into the water. Stefan grabbed her hand as she fell and only fell slightly forward, not enough to fall completely into the fountain.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked.

He helped her out of the fountain and looked down at her dress, then back up at him.

"I can't do this..." she said, trying to leave.

"What?" Stefan protested, "No, you can't leave."

"Look at me," Caroline said, squeezing the water out of her ruined dress, "This always happens. Something always has to go wrong."

From behind the bushes, Liv grinned.

"I don't care," Stefan said, placing his hand on her cheek, "You are still all the more beautiful to me."

He hesitated to lift her mask off because she already seemed so upset, so instead of revealing her, he put his hands on his own mask and started to lift it off. That's when the loud chime of midnight rang clear throughout the hall. The people started to cheer as the classical music ended and the real party music started. Caroline gasped.

"No really, I have to go," Caroline said, picking up her dress and running out of the hall.

"Wait! I don't even know your name!" Stefan called back.

Caroline stopped and turned around, "Maybe it's better that way..."

Stefan quickly removed his mask and tossed it to the side as he watched his mystery girl in the powder blue dress run out of the garden and through the ballroom. Caroline met up with Bonnie and Elena, who were at the bottom of the stairs. The three of them started to run up the stairs as Stefan ran through the ballroom. The party guests were starting to notice Stefan as the man dancing with the girl in the blue dress. Caroline was running so fast up the stairs that her bun was falling out. The little hair piece that rested on her bun fell off and started to bounce down the stairs. Quickly, Caroline turned around and tried to reach for it, but saw Stefan Salvatore waiting at the bottom of the steps with a distressed look on his face.

"No..." Caroline whispered.

He was wearing the same tux that Caroline's mystery boy was dancing in. The world suddenly started to move slower and time was moving faster. Her heart was racing faster than it was earlier, but this time in complete confusion, fear, and love.

"Come on!" Bonnie said, grabbing Caroline's arm and running up the stairs and out of the room.

Stefan ran up the stairs and picked up the diamond hair piece, then watched her and her friends run all the way out to the side of the street, where a car picked them up and took his mystery girl away from him. Damon came up to Stefan, breathing heavily.

"They left?" Damon asked.

"Yeah..." Stefan answered.

They both looked at each other and Stefan frowned to see lip stick all over Damon's mouth.

"You have a little..." Stefan said, pointing to the area on his face.

Damon went wide eyed and started to rub the lipstick off with his hand. "Who was that?"

Stefan shook his head in disbelief, not wanting to accept that he had the perfect girl and then lost her in the same 5 minutes. "I don't know..."

* * *

**AN: Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I've updated last, so I posted the chapter last night and now I'm posting this one! Please review, follow, and favorite. It really means the world to me when I hear back from you guys. It really motivates me to keep updating. Thanks!**


	7. A Lovely Night

"Go! Go!" Bonnie shouted as the limo stopped in front of Caroline's house.

"Get the limo out of sight!" Caroline called, stumbling out of the limo with her shoes in her hands. She ran into the house and immediately started to take off her dress, not caring that she wasn't inside her room or in the kitchen.

Caroline ran down the stairs in her slip and bustier, finding the shorts and t-shirt in the bottom kitchen drawer. She shoved her blue dress in there and struggled to get the bustier off before slipping her t-shirt over her head. She threw both the bustier and slip into the drawer and pushed it closed, then she splashed more water in her face to get all of the makeup off as fast as she could. There was so much to think about, but she had to put those thoughts aside in order to make it look like she stayed home all night.

"i know he liked me the most," Liv whined as she got out of her father's car wearing the same modest dress she walked out of the house in.

"Yes, I'm sure he did, Olivia," Joshua said, rolling his eyes as he watched his daughter parade into the house.

"Really? Because he seemed to really like that girl he was dancing with," Luke said.

"Shut up, Lucas," Liv spat, "He obviously pitied her or something. He totally thought my dream of our future was perfect."

Luke exchanged a look with his father before they entered into the house.

"Cinderella!" Liv shouted only to be startled by Caroline who was standing by the door as usual, "Oh. There you are. What's that you're carrying?"

"Hot chocolate," Caroline said with a smile.

"Great! I love hot chocolate," Luke cheered as he picked up a mug. Liv took one as well.

Joshua walked up to Caroline and examined her face. Caroline grew tense when he moved his hand toward her face and wiped off some of the hot chocolate powder off her face. He scoffed and muttered, "Messy girl."

"How was the ball?" Caroline asked after a sigh of relief, setting the tray down, "Did you get to dance with Stefan, Liv?"

Luke put his face in his hands as Liv sat tall on the sofa, sipping her hot chocolate with her pinkies out. "I danced about an hour with him," she lied.

"An hour?" Luke asked.

"Of course," Liv said, giving her brother a fake smile, "We all did..."

Luke nodded, "Yeah... sure you did..."

"Who was there?" Caroline asked.

"Anyone who's anyone was there," Luke said excitedly, "Except for some girl and her two friends. I'm not sure if she goes to our school because no one really recognized her."

"Oh really?" Caroline asked, "and did any of them dance with Stefan?"

"Oh sure," Luke said, "All the girls got to."

"Do you think..." Caroline hesitated before asking, "Do you think he liked her?"

Liv suddenly let out a loud laugh as everyone in the room stared at her. She recovered and took a long sigh, "I highly doubt it... so what did you do, Cinderella? Sleep by the fire place?"

Caroline shrugged off that comment and sat on a small chair in front of the coffee table, "I was actually doing my chores."

"Finally," Joshua muttered.

"I was dreaming what the ball was like," Caroline added.

"Please," Liv scoffed, "You simply can't imagine."

"Well..." Caroline said, "I imagined red velvet carpets, a dance floor with an orchestra and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling that softly fills the whole room with light and the walls are all mostly made of glass so you can see the woods outside and the lights in the trees."

Liv raised an eyebrow at her, "That sounds more like a memory than imagination."

"Come on, Liv," Luke said, "We all know she has a crazy imagination."

Caroline nodded, "Yeah... I just imagined that I walked into the ballroom down the stairs, completely nervous that I was going to screw up or something only to be met with a handsome stranger who would ask me to dance."

"Barf," Liv groaned.

"No, no," Luke argued, "Go on, Caroline."

Caroline hesitated, looking to Liv and Joshua, who were staring at her with judgmental eyes. Luke noticed this and started to stand up. He held out his hand to her, bowing his head.

"So like this?" he asked.

She nodded and continued, "and when we'd dance," she took his hand and bowed, going into hold and moving all around the floor, "it'd feel like we're floating; gliding across the floor."

Luke laughed and dipped Caroline, then spun her around and picked her up. "You look lovely this evening, Miss Forbes," he joked, mimicking the Salvatore brothers.

Caroline stepped back and bowed to him again, "Why thank you Mr. Salvatore."

Joshua laughed and sat back in his chair. "Lucas, I think you play Stefan better than Stefan does."

"Ugh!" Liv groaned, "Would you please stop acting like idiots, hanging on her every word? It's disgusting."

"Come on, Oliv-."

"Don't be stupid, Lucas!" Liv shouted.

Joshua and Lucas looked at each other as she said that, because all Liv was looking at was Caroline. The two of them got up and left the room while the two girls stayed there, staring at each other in the awkward and uncomfortable moment.

"I don't know who you think you are," Liv said, getting up and walking in circles around Caroline, "but I am not so easily mesmerized by your good girl act. Everything you 'imagined' doesn't make sense in the real world. Wake up, princess. This is not your world. It's mine. You work for me. It's time you knew your place. Your mother didn't and look how that turned out for her. She filled your head full of useless dreams and now she's dead."

Caroline frowned at her, wanting to use every ounce of force she had in her hand to slap her in the face, but Liv knew she wanted to do that and was proud that no matter how angry she made the servant girl, Caroline could never hit Liv.

She turned away and left, walking up the flights of steps to her room in the attic. Once the door was closed, she fell on the bed and started to cry. She looked at a picture of Liz Forbes that rested forever on her nightstand. Liz was smiling in the picture while wearing her police officer's uniform. Caroline picked up the picture and held it in her hands as the tears started to cloud her vision.

"Mom... I know you said to be good," Caroline sobbed, "but I don't know how much longer I can pretend like what they're doing isn't bothering me... every day it just gets worse... tonight... I danced with a really cute guy who's name is Stefan. I didn't think much of him until now... he made me see that I deserve better than what I have now."

She could have sworn she saw her mother's smile grow more in the picture. That's when she started to wipe her tears away.

"She shouldn't have said that about your mother," Luke said, opening the door, "I hope you don't mind me barging in."

"No, not at all," Caroline said, turning around to face him, "Thanks... Did you just-."

"Yeah," Luke said quietly, looking down at his feet.

Caroline sighed and held out her hand to him, "You're the nicest one to me here. I think I can trust you."

"You wanna trust me with a secret as big as you being Cinderella?" Luke asked, taking her hand and sitting down next to her.

"Oh no!" Caroline groaned, "Is that what people are saying?"

"Yeah, people took pictures of you guys. It's all over instagram."

"Oh no!" Caroline whined, throwing her head into her pillows, "Now I'll have to hear it outside of school too."

"Not if we keep this a secret between us," Luke promised.

Caroline sat up and frowned, "You'd really keep my secret?"

"Of course!" Luke said, "Besides, you're not as bad as Liv says you are and someone needs to prove it to her."

"Wow," Caroline said in shock, "We have a secret."

"And one secret deserves another," he continued, "All of my friends know, but it's nice to have someone in this house know that I'm gay."

Caroline gasped and smiled, "You are? That's great!"

"I know!" Luke said, "It feels so good now that you know."

"Now we have two secrets," Caroline said excitedly, "I guess that makes us-."

"Friends?" Luke asked.

"Siblings," Caroline said, wrapping her arm around Luke's shoulder, "May we both find exactly what we're looking for. Happy lives outside of this living hell."

"Here here!" Luke cheered, kissing his sister's forehead.


	8. The Loneliness of Sunrise

The sun rose over the horizon and the dark sky started to fade into an orange color, followed by a light hearted blue color. Stefan rose out of his bed and immediately saw the colors outside of his window. He saw his angel in that sky. The blonde of her sweet hair, the blue of her dress. But nothing would compare to her green eyes. If only he knew exactly who she was and how to find her. Instead, he was left alone again. He fell back on the bed in despair and turned over to see the diamond hair piece resting on his bedside table.

Stefan started to smile when he saw the diamonds glimmering in the sunlight. At least this was physical proof that the previous evening wasn't a dream. Without it, he might have believed that this perfect girl was made up in his mind and the ball was actually a bore. But no. The events of last night were real and so was the girl he danced with. It gave him the motivation to get out of bed and at least try to live his life that day.

"Oh!" Damon said delightfully when he saw Stefan come down the stairs with his hands in his pocket, "Looks like Casanova has decided to join us in reality... while he carries a token of his one true love in his pocket."

"Shut up," Stefan said, causing Damon to chuckle at himself, "This is the only thing I have of her. If I lose it, I lose her and all hopes of finding her... and I can't just forget about her."

"You sound like every cheesy fairytale book ever," Damon teased.

At that moment, Lilian burst into the room with her grand demeanour, looking as full of herself and radical as she possibly could. Damon and Stefan always dreaded these entrances.

"Perhaps a fairytale isn't so bad, Damon," Lily said, brushing up against her eldest son's shoulder, "Stefan, maybe the stories are trying to tell you something. You lost your girl? Now it's time to find her."

"Easier said than done, mother," Stefan sighed, taking out the diamond hair piece and placing it on the table, "This is all I have. It's not like a glass slipper. It's a hair piece. Literally any girl could pick it up and say it's theirs without any real proof."

Lily glanced at the diamond hair piece and picked it up, examining the details. She imagined it in the blonde girl's hair as Stefan had described it. The only thing she could see was people dancing and celebrating as they did the night before. She suddenly gasped and smiled.

"That's it!" she said with great excitement, "We'll announce another ball!"

"Mother," Stefan groaned, throwing his head into his hands, "A ball is what got us into this mess-."

"And a ball is going to get us out," she said encouragingly, "Think about it; if we have another ball, perhaps your mystery girl will return and you can see her again. There's only one way to return what belongs to her."

* * *

"I'm telling you guys," Caroline said, walking down the center of the school hallway with Elena and Bonnie on either side, "It's no big deal. We danced, we talked, and then it was over. It was just a one night thing."

"Oh, don't try and sound all cool now," Bonnie sassed, "You and Stefan had a real connection."

"At least that's what she said when she was giggling in the back of the limo," Elena said quietly.

"I may have said that," Caroline contradicted, "but here in the real world, I am not Stefan's perfect mystery girl. I'm not the pretty Cinderella who wears the glass slipper. I'm the Cinderella who's in the kitchen, sweeping the floors. Besides, he probably doesn't even care anymore. He's not looking for me."

The three girls approached the school cafeteria only to see a mob of girls all over one area, reaching their hands out and grabbing little yellow flyers and passing them to each other. They could barely see Damon in the middle of the crowd, passing the flyers out.

"Stefan Salvatore is having another ball!" Damon announced, "If you are the girl he danced with at the last ball… then he is waiting especially for you. This weekend starting at 8 o'clock."

Bonnie pushed Elena towards the crowd of girls, which made her cheeks turn red. She sheepishly held her hand out, hoping a flyer would just magically appear in her hand. Instead, Damon's hand brushed up against Elena's. Their eyes met and Damon started to lose his breath when he saw her brown eyes against the red shirt she was wearing. He tilted his head slightly, trying to put the image together in his head, but Elena was too shy and quickly took the flyer, walking away before Damon could put it together.

Caroline's eyes went wide when she finally got a flyer in her hands. The title of it said PRINCE CHARMING IS LOOKING FOR CINDERELLA. Her head started to spin. There were so many things to think about. First of all, that Stefan actually cared and it wasn't just a one night thing for him. Second of all, he cared enough that he would go through all of that again just to find her. Third of all, he was so desperate to find her that he couldn't wait to throw another ball; it had to be this very weekend so he could see her again.

"H-He's looking for me," was all Caroline could manage to get out.

Of course, in her moment of shock, when she was completely paralyzed, Stefan walked into the cafeteria and drew the entire crowd to him. Soon, he was surrounded by so many girls trying to convince him that she was his perfect girl at the ball. Caroline's face suddenly sank as she watched the girls twirl their hair while he smiled back.

"Go to him," Bonnie said, pushing her by the small of her back.

"What? No!" Caroline objected.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows, "You can tell him the truth and he'll be yours or you can keep watching those girls throw themselves at him… don't lie, you really like him."

Caroline shook her head, "He's not gonna believe me… he needs to see me… at the ball."

Bonnie's smile grew slowly when she started to figure out what Caroline said. She and Elena then started going on and on about what Stefan would do when he sees Elena again. All Caroline could do was watch Stefan, remembering what he told her, how he was putting on an act and a smile for the public before he met her. She knew that smile on his face was fake and she wanted more than anything to see his real smile again.

She shook her head twice and started to join her friends in conversation before she got too lost in thought.

"You know what?" Caroline said, "I'll bet Elena's excited to see her mystery man again since we interrupted their make out session."

"That's right!" Bonnie said, playfully pushing Elena's shoulder, "What if it's Damon? Then you two would be like sisters!"

"What are the odds that both Caroline and I would end up with both Salvatore brothers at the same ball?" Elena laughed.

From around the corner, Liv stuck her head out from behind a wall and saw the three girls standing there, laughing with each other, hearing every single word. This was not going to stand in her book. Liv wasn't just going to let Cinderella get her happy ending. This happy ending belonged to Liv and nothing was going to stand in her way.


	9. Do I Love You?

Caroline was sitting on her bed, holding the flyer over her head, staring at the large print and the picture of the hair piece that was attached next to all of the details of the ball. Her heart was fluttering at the thought of seeing Stefan again, but she had all kinds of reservations about what would happen if he found out who she really was; a servant girl pretending to be something she's not while acting completely like herself at the same time.

The knock on her door startled her while she was in deep thought. Luke peeked his head in cautiously.

"I heard…" he said quietly, then entered the room and closed the door softly, "Are you going to the second ball?"

"I am seriously thinking about it," Caroline said, "God, I am so tired of seeing all of those girls throwing themselves at him, you know? I just-."

"Want him to be yours?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow, "Sister, that's what being in love feels like. That alone is enough of a reason to go, if not the only reason you should be going."

"But…" Caroline hesitated, looking down at herself, "I don't even have another dress… If I go in the same dress twice, what's he gonna think?"

"Oh please!" Luke laughed, "If he's going through all of this trouble just to find you again, I really don't think he cares about what dress you're wearing… but I'd keep the shoes, though."

"Really?" Caroline asked, reaching back to grab the same silver shoes she wore at the ball, "You think they're still good?"

"They kept you on your feet for that long, didn't they?"

"Yeah, until I fell," Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You fell?" Luke said, trying so hard not to laugh, which made Caroline shoot him a judgemental glare, "I'm not judging! I'm just surprised."

"Uh huh," she said, crossing her arms, "No, it was the stupid sprinklers. They startled me and I tried to dodge the water, but I actually ended up in the fountain."

"Oh no!"

"Right as I was about to kiss Stefan."

"Oh no!"

"I know, right?"

"That timing is awful," Luke laughed, throwing his head in his hands, "That's like someone planned for you to screw up."

Caroline cringed and fell back on the bed, laughing, trying to imitate dread and doom. "The world is out to get me!"

Luke laughed and fell on the bed next to her, both of them giggling and continuing conversation as though they had never hated each other at all. From the other side of the door, Liv knew something was going on when she stopped seeing Luke in the adjoining room, so she snuck up Caroline's steps to see if he was seeing her. The two of them were laughing together like real friends. Liv frowned and knew there was only one thing to do; stop Caroline from going to the ball.

"Daddy!" Liv called sweetly when she came down the stairs.

"Yes, princess?" Joshua answered, approaching the staircase where Liv waited.

"Caroline wants to go to the ball AGAIN," she complained, "Imagine how awful that would be if she actually went! What would people think of our maid went out in public and talked to people… people that she shouldn't be talking to… like the Salvatore brothers!"

Joshua's eyes went wide. The only image in his head he could conjure up was that of Caroline, her face covered in dirt and her hair in a messy ponytail while she got dust and dirt all over important people's clothes.

"Oh no, oh no," Joshua said, crossing his arms, "That just won't do… we're just going to have to keep her home then, aren't we?"

"Make her clean both mine and Lucas's rooms," Liv suggested.

"That won't be necessary," Joshua halted, "I have one room that could definitely use… some dusting."

On the day of the ball, Liv went up to her room and blasted her music so no one could disturb her. Luke protested to his father against going to the ball, to which he agreed to so he could keep an eye on Caroline. He started right away and went up to Caroline's room again, making arrangements on how to sneak out of the house and get back in time before Liv and his dad returned home.

"Caroline!" Joshua's voice rang from the intercom.

The sound pierced her ears and made her and Luke jump. Her eyes widened and she looked at Luke, holding her index finger to her lips, to which he responded with a nod.

"Yes?" Caroline said when she pushed the button.

"Get down here, you have a job to do," Joshua demanded.

Caroline looked back at Luke and rolled her eyes before speaking again, "It's not like I have anything better to do with my life…"

"I like the can-do attitude!" Joshua said excitedly.

Caroline picked herself up and headed down the stairs where Joshua was waiting at the door to the wine cellar.

"Yeah?" Caroline asked when she got to the first floor, "What's this big job?"

Joshua grinned and pushed the wine cellar door open just by hitting it with his elbow. "You remember the wine cellar, don't you? Probably not, since it hasn't been opened in years."

The dust that was coming from the hinges themselves made Caroline cough. He walked in and Caroline followed him. The light was a cheap old thing that could be turned on by pulling the metal string.

"We're all going to the second ball tonight for the Salvatore brothers," Joshua said, "and by all, I mean, Olivia, Lucas, and I. You will be in here, making this place spotless. When we get back, I don't wanna see even one speck of dust."

Caroline's mouth fell open as she tried to form some kind of words to describe the piles of dust and cobwebs that filled this place.

"What?" was what she finally said.

"Leave no bottle un-dusted and no shelf cleared," Joshua said, walking up the stairs, "Now I know it seems like a lot, but look at the bright side of things! At least this time, you won't be bored while we're away."

Joshua closed the door, which made the whole room shake and creek, some dust falling off of the shelves and falling down onto the ground and in her hair. Caroline let out a little gasp as she looked the dust and dirt in her hair. She wanted to march out the door and sneak away like she did last time, but there was no hiding this one. If this room wasn't clean by the time her stepfather came back, she would be a goner for sure. There was no telling what kind of abuse she would have to endure. Staying emotionally sane and bruise free would be better than winning over any man.

It was about an hour later before Caroline finally heard the door begin to creak open. The bright light made Caroline squint and hold her hand up to her eyes so she could see who was there in front of the sunlight.

"Oh honey…" Jo said quietly, coming down the stairs, "You're a mess."

"Your dad strikes again," Caroline shrugged.

Jo came walking down the stairs with Luke, Bonnie, and Elena behind her.

"Yeah, no kidding," Bonnie said, brushing her finger against the wooden railing and cringing at the disgusting dust on her finger, "This place has more dust than a pyramid."

"Or the other side of Liv's bed," Luke said plainly as he started to walk past Bonnie.

She glared at him and started to laugh, patting him on the shoulder, "I like you, I'm gonna keep you."

"Uh, excuse me, young lady," Jo said, taking the duster from Caroline's hands, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What I'm supposed to be doing," Caroline said, reaching back for the duster, but Jo only moved her hand away from her, "Come on, Jo. I'm serious this time. I have a job to do and if Joshua sees even a speck of dust, I may never see the light of day again."

"Not much light of day down here, from what I can see," Bonnie said.

"Yeah, you could just die down here from all the mold," Luke added.

"This is ridiculous, Caroline," Jo said, crossing her arms, "You're seriously gonna let Elena get her man by herself?"

Elena uncrossed her arms and started to blush.

"I have no other choice, Jo," Caroline argued, "I don't have the kind of life where I get to be young and dumb. I have responsibilities and things I have to do until I can get as far away from here as possible."

"And you think locking yourself up and turning into a cleaning lady is going to help you reach your full potential in the real world?" Jo said, "Sweetheart… there is something out there beyond the voices in this house who keep telling you you're not good enough… something that's so special it can help you be who you really are and make you the happiest you've ever been in your entire life."

"And what's that?" Caroline asked plainly.

"Someone who wants you, and not just anyone. Someone you want back." Caroline looked at the ground, pretending not to hear this. "Don't just shrug and ignore this. You said it yourself after the last ball, you felt more like yourself than ever. When you're like this… you can do whatever you want, become anything you want in the future, go wherever you wanna go. Love is that powerful. And not just the love of a handsome son of an actress, but love from a sister, a brother, friends… a mother…" Caroline looked up and grinned a little bit. "There's music in you, Caroline. Loud, proud, and beautiful music. All you have to do is choose to sing it or not… or in this case… put on the dress I brought you and go to the ball or not."

Caroline took a deep breath and looked around at Bonnie, Elena, and Luke who were standing around with hope in their eyes. Jo was right. Love was better than obedience. If she rebelled and was unsafe, but had people who loved her, especially Stefan, that would be better than it all. The love from her friends was going to last longer. The bruise will heal.

"Jo and I have already agreed to stay and clean anyway," Luke added, "So there's literally no reason you can't go."

"Not just because he's throwing the whole ball for you," Bonnie said.

"But I don't have the hairpiece," Caroline said, "That's probably the only way he's going to recognize me. What do I do?"

"Maybe he'll stare lovingly into your eyes and just know," Luke said mockingly.

Jo shook her head at her little brother and took Caroline up the stairs to the dining room table where Jo had everything laid out. There was a big white dress strapless dress with a silver diamond belt around the waist. Next to it was a necklace that looked like it would be a pair with the hair piece.

"I had this picked out for my wedding," Jo said, fluffing the dress, "Poor Alaric got anxiety and we went to the courthouse instead, but at least I saved this dress. I think it'll come in handy for tonight."

Caroline smiled and tried not to get her dusty self all over the perfectly white dress. She looked at Jo and smiled.

"Thank you… Really, all of you are just the best!"

They all came together for a great big group hug. Caroline's heart was really starting to flutter now. If anything, it was racing with the anxious anticipation. She was ready to go to that ball and fall into Stefan's arms again. Caroline was ready.

The second ball was filled with much more dread than the last one. This time, Stefan was standing there, hearing every girl come up to him, claiming that the hair piece in his hand was hers. There were even brunette girls, which made Stefan laugh because his girl was clearly blonde and they were trying too hard. He could have sworn he saw blonde highlights in some of the girls hair, though, and there weren't many blonde highlighted girls at the first ball. Of course, Liv Parker wasn't going down without a fight, so she approached Stefan in a very revealing dress, proudly pushing her chest into the air.

"So Stefan…" she said, getting closer and closer to him, "Care for a dance?"

"No thanks, Liv," Stefan said, trying to avoid her stare.

"What? I'm not Liv… I'm your mystery girl…"

"No you're not," Stefan scoffed, "I saw you scowling at us when we were dancing last weekend." Liv started to get mad, so Stefan panicked and touched her shoulder, moving her to arms length. "I'm sure you're a decent person, Liv. Any guy… although I'm not sure exactly who… would be happy to be with you. Hey look! I hear Tyler's available. Maybe you should ask him for a dance. I think he can dance, what do you think, Damon?"

"He's not a bad dancer," Damon said with a shrug as he approached his brother and Liv.

Liv looked to them both, then scowled, then groaned, then walked away loudly. Stefan and Damon both rolled their eyes at each other. He didn't know exactly how this was possible, but he felt his whole body start to get tense. People were starting to gasp and Damon looked at the steps with wonder and amazement.

"Hey…" Damon said, "The guests of honor have arrived…"

Stefan turned around quickly and looked at the three girls, who arrived late, on the staircase. It was the same mask, but her wavy blonde hair was flowing at her sides instead of up in a bun. She was wearing a necklace that had the same design as the hair piece that was in Stefan's hand. His heart started to race and he almost ran to the staircase this time, stopping her before her feet could touch the ground.

"You're here…" he said breathlessly.

Caroline reached out and took Stefan's hand, looking at him as Stefan, not a mystery boy. "Of course I am…" she said back.

He saw her green eyes and knew exactly that this was the girl he was looking for. She looked absolutely radiant in her white dress. The subtle diamonds on her dress and the diamonds on her necklace made her eyes sparkle even more. He brought her down one more step and saw that she was even wearing the same shoes that she wore during the first ball. He held out his arm for her and she took it. Damon watched them walk away, then he turned to the girl with the brown hair and olive skin who was now wearing a light pink ball gown. She looked even more perfect than the last time he saw her. Elena was tense when she first saw Damon without his mask, looking completely handsome and totally gorgeous. But instead of just standing there in fear, she saw that look in his eyes. If anything, Elena had the power because Damon had no idea who she was. She didn't bother with formalities and started to kiss Damon again. He placed his hands on her waist lightly, avoiding messing up any of the sequences that rested on the corset.

Elena's mystery man was Damon, she thought proudly to herself as she kissed him passionately. She wasn't going to take off her mask this time, but at least she knew who she was dealing with. Damon didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, that's exactly how he wanted his night to go.

Meanwhile, Stefan brought Caroline back out to the garden, hoping to pick up where they had left off before she fell into a fountain and ran away. She had almost forgotten how beautiful the garden looked from the last ball. If anything, the lights were dimmer than they were last time, but it was much prettier.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come at first," Stefan admitted as they both took a seat on the bench, "To be honest, you don't seem like the type that's easy to get."

"You guess correctly," Caroline said with a coy chuckle, "and if I'm being perfectly honest… I thought you would have forgotten about me and pretended like the last ball never even happened. Oh how wrong I was."

Stefan laughed and looked down, trying to hide his blushing face. Caroline impulsively took his chin in her hand and gently pushed his face back upward so she could see him.

"Never hide your smile," Caroline said quietly, "At least your genuine smile… It's the thing I missed most about you."

He pressed his lips together as her hand softened and brushed against his cheek before returning to her lap. He took one of her hands in his and started to squeeze it just a little bit.

"I feel so strange…" Stefan said, looking at their hands, his holding her soft and delicate fingers, "like I'm not myself… either that or that I really am myself but not the version of myself that everyone wants me to be. That has to be so confusing… I know I said this last time too."

"But it makes perfect sense," Caroline responded, "It's scary, isn't it?"

"Scary, yes," Stefan agreed, "and wonderful… all because you showed up in my life."

Caroline sighed and loosened her grip on Stefan's hands, looking at the ground. It was now Stefan's turn to rest his hand gently under Caroline's chin, bringing her face forward to look at him.

"It's almost like you're not even real," Stefan said in total awe, which made Caroline catch her breath, "God, I hope you're real."

"I am…" Caroline answered, "but I should warn you, I'm not who you think I am. I'm not an heiress or famous in any way at all… I mean my sister's kinda famous, but I doubt you'd know her."

"Do you really think I care about that stuff?" Stefan asked, "If I were looking for one specific type of girl, I wouldn't have had a masquerade ball. I wanted to meet someone that I wasn't expected to talk to… and I did… I met someone beautiful."

Caroline shook her head and chuckled to herself.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked.

"I could almost say the same thing about you," she sighed, "When I went to the ball, I didn't plan on seeking you out as Stefan Salvatore; resident Prince Charming… I just asked for a pretty dress and a night off."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess we both kind of got more than what we bargained for." He made Caroline smile, which made him feel like the luckiest man in the world for being able to see the most beautiful girl in the world smile. "I've never felt this way about someone so easily… I think... I think I'm falling in love with you…" Stefan shook his head, chuckling to himself, "and I don't even know your name."

"Stefan…" Caroline whispered, immediately falling into his arms, resting her face on his shoulder as he hugged her tightly, "I wish I could tell you everything."

"Then why don't you?" he asked.

Caroline lifted her head. She seriously considered taking off her mask, but it made her insides tingle with the nerves. Stefan started to moved his hands to her mask and lifted only a millimeter off her face before she gasped. He took the sign and removed his hands from her face. She looked terrified. There were so many things he wanted to say to make her feel better, but he felt a thumping in his heart that told him to do something else instead. So he pressed his lips against hers for the first time. Caroline wrapped her arms around Stefan's neck as she returned the kiss. It would have been the perfect moment if the clock didn't strike midnight moments later.

They broke the kiss and looked at the clock. Stefan sighed, resting his hands on her waist.

"Let me guess... " he said.

"I have to go," Caroline said quietly, beginning to back away from him.

"Shit…" he muttered to himself.

Caroline shook her head and started to feel at her collar bone for the necklace, she tapped it lightly, then took Stefan's face in her hands.

"Do you see this necklace I'm wearing?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

"The girl you're looking for will have this necklace," Caroline said, "It matches the hairpiece exactly. The set belongs to a woman named Jo Saltzman. Now I really have to go before someone kills me."

"I hope you mean that in the metaphorical way," Stefan said, still gripping onto her hand.

Caroline looked back at him and shrugged, "It could go either way."

She planted one last kiss on his lips before running out the door. Bonnie was waiting there and grabbed her hand, both of them racing towards the staircase.

"Wait!" Caroline shouted, "Where's Elena?"

They looked around until they saw her soft pink dress up against the wall with Damon in front of her, his hands moving up and down her waist. Bonnie rolled her eyes and rushed towards her, grabbing Elena's arm.

"We're gonna need to steal her back, I'm sure she had a lovely time, though," she said casually as she dragged Elena away from Damon.

They both looked completely dazed and confused, but gave each other a small wave before Elena rushed back with Bonnie and Caroline up the stairs. When they reached the top, Caroline looked back at Stefan, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, his hand on the railing. This time, instead of looking sad and lost, he was smiling. He was one step closer to his mystery girl. One step closer to finding his Cinderella.


	10. The Search

Stefan ran home that night. After his mystery girl left, he ran straight home and left all of his guests there for Damon and his mother to take care of. He burst through his door with Matt rushing in behind him. The first thing Stefan did was pull out a pen and paper, resting it on the kitchen counter and running to grab his laptop. Matt stumbled in, wide-eyed.

"So remind me again…" he said, "What are we doing?"

"Here," Stefan said, sitting Matt down on a bar stool and placing the laptop in front of him, "I need you to find out everything you can about Jo Saltzman."

Matt frowned at this, but shrugged, knowing he probably didn't have anywhere better to be, since the ball sucked for him. All night, the two boys wrote down every possible option as to who Jo Saltzman could be, but all they could find were male car dealers and realtors. Stefan kept reminding Matt that the necklace and hairpiece belongs to a woman named Jo, exactly as Caroline had told him.

By the time the sun rose, Matt was asleep with his cheek on the keyboard. Stefan had decided to give it a rest for a little bit and started lying on the couch, thinking about what he would say to her once he finally found her. He started to think about how she would end up with a necklace from Jo and what kind of relationship she would have with her.

It was 7:00am when Lily finally walked in the door, seeing Stefan awake on the couch while Matt was snoring against a laptop. She quickly and lightly tapped Matt's shoulder, causing him to snort before he fell over onto the ground.

"It's time to go home, Matt," Lily said.

Matt rubbed his eyes and nodded, "On it."

Lily sighed and started to head towards the couch.

"Stefan…" she said softly, "Look at yourself, you've been up all night. I'll have the cooks make you something to eat."

"No," Stefan said, sitting up and stretching his arms, "I can't eat or rest until I've found her."

"You've been doing all you can," Lily insisted, "If she wants to be with you, let her find you instead."

"I will find her myself," Stefan argued, "I have to."

Lily shook her head and sat on the arm of the couch.

"Now what makes her so special?" she asked, "You didn't know a thing about her before the first ball and now after the second ball you claim that she's the girl you can't live without?"

"I don't know how and I can't explain it but I am falling in love with her," Stefan said.

Lily started to chuckle to herself, "In love? Name 5 things about her that you could possibly love about her."

"Easy," Stefan shrugged, "She's honest and real. She understands me and makes it easy for me to talk to her. She's spontaneous and brave. She's a beautiful dancer and she's witty. Not to mention, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on."

Lily always hoped she would hear these words from her youngest son one day, but she never imagined it would happen this way. His eyes were red from not getting enough rest, but he also looked like he had a full heart that was aching. She placed her hand on his back and started to rub gently.

"Mom…" Stefan whispered, "All my life I've been thinking if there was ever someone out there who was different and special… and now I know it's her."

"Then you will keep searching for her," Lily nodded, "I just hope you're not falling for a fantasy."

"She's real. I know she is. I'm going to find her."

By Monday, it had already spread around the school that Stefan Salvatore was searching for his Cinderella with only two clues; a hairpiece and a name. By lunch time, people couldn't stop whispering about who Jo Saltzman could possibly be. Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena entered the cafeteria and the butterflies started filling up her stomach. It was awful that Stefan was losing his mind looking for her, but she had to admit, it made her happy that he listened to her and really meant what he said when he told her he was falling in love with her.

"This is insanity," Elena gasped as the group made their way to a lunch table.

"I know…" Caroline sighed, resting her head on her hand as Stefan walked in, carrying his tray and walking beside Damon.

"He really is trying hard," Bonnie said with wide eyes, "I guess it almost makes Damon's pursuit of Elena look pathetic, huh Elena?"

Elena shook her head and stuck her tongue out at Bonnie.

"What do you see in Stefan anyway?" Elena asked, "I mean, Damon's the bad boy with the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen… but what can Stefan offer in comparison."

Caroline frowned at Elena and shook her head, "You're kidding, right? How do you NOT see how wonderful he is! Oh yeah, because he told me he was never himself until he met me." Elena and Bonnie laughed, but Caroline kept looking Stefan who was sitting at a table just straight ahead of them. He wasn't smiling like he was at the ball, but she knew that already. "He's… compassionate… romantic… smooth… intelligent… understanding…"

"Alright, we get it," Bonnie said.

Caroline looked over at Elena and then back to Damon, who was sitting next to Stefan.

"Are you ever gonna tell Damon it was you?" she asked her.

Elena's face started to turn red and her eyes went wide, trying to keep staring at her tray so no one could see her frightened expression. She shrugged in response to Caroline's question.

"Okay…" Caroline said with a sigh, "I say, you and I are gonna make an agreement. When Stefan finds out it was me, you'll tell Damon it was you."

"But-."

"Nah uh!" Bonnie protested, "You are not gonna chicken out of this!"

"That's not what I was gonna say! I was gonna say I was planning on doing it sooner…"

"What?!" Bonnie and Caroline both shouted.

"Yeah…" Elena said quietly, "I mean… I already know who he is and he's not gonna go on a manhunt to find me… so why not take matters into my own hand? I already have the power right now, I might as well take advantage of it."

"I guess you're right," Bonnie shrugged, "You guys were too chicken to flirt with each before the ball, so he'll most likely believe you when you finally come clean."

Caroline play shoved Bonnie and laughed. "You guys should come over to my house today. We'll make Elena look pretty so she can go catch her man."

Elena blushed again. "Okay… now I'm starting to rethink all of this…"

From across the cafeteria, Stefan and Damon were eating lunch with only a few other people around them, but they were sucked into their own conversations. Stefan was otherwise occupied with a blonde girl sitting at the table a little distance away from them. Damon's phone went off and he reached into his pocket to find it, wiping a bit of food from his bottom lip.

"Hey, what's that girl's name again?" Stefan asked, "She looks familiar."

Damon's eyes went wide when he looked at his phone. "Who cares? I found out who Jo Saltzman is."

"You did?" Stefan asked anxiously, "Well, come on, man. Who is she?"

He held out his phone in front of his younger brother, showing him a picture of Jo next to dozens of prom dresses.

"Jo Saltzman is actually Jo Laughlin," Damon said proudly, "World famous dress designer and author." He slid his finger to the left to show him the cover of Jo's book entitled 'The Perfect Fit'. "She was born and raised here, attended this very institute of learning we now sit in, but hated her family so much that she changed her last name from Parker to Laughlin. She married some guy recently and if your girl knows her well, then that's probably why she used her married name instead of her famous name. That girl is sneaky-."

"Parker?" Stefan asked, "As in Liv and Luke Parker? The crazy twins from hell?"

"To be fair," Damon defended, "I think Liv is the only crazy one-."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Damon. What I'm saying is… Liv might have been actually telling the truth."

"No way," Damon scoffed, "There is no way in hell Liv Parker is the girl of your dreams."

Stefan shrugged, "She did tell me she acted more like herself around me."

Damon looked around, trying to change the subject or find any girl who looks like his mystery girl to take his mind off of it, but instead, he sighed and patted Stefan's back hard.

"There's only one way to figure out this whole thing," he said, standing up out of his chair, "Looks like we're going to the Parker's house."


	11. The Shoe Fits

It was just after school when Liv decided she had to rush home as fast as she could. She took the smaller limo so it could make those turns easily. When she got the front of her house, she quickly slammed the door shut and didn't bother with it after that. She ran into her house, avoiding her father's call, and rushed up the two flights of stairs. It took a minute of her just standing there in front of Caroline's room, contemplating if she could get away with this. The image of Stefan body over hers got rid of the regrets and she pushed the door open.

"Now, if I were a diamond necklace, where would I hide myself?" she whispered.

There was a little box on a nightstand that looked like something disgusting that Caroline would keep for sentimental reasons. It sat right next to her mother's picture. Liv rolled her eyes and took the box, finding the necklace perfectly folded inside of it. She pulled it out and saw the sparkle of the diamonds. Each shimmer screamed victory inside of her head.

Liv suddenly heard the sound of footsteps walking up the stairs, so she stuffed the necklace in her pocket and put the box back where it was. She stepped outside of the room and rested her arm on the wall next to the door. Caroline came walking up the stairs with Bonnie and Elena behind her.

"You're late," Liv said sassily.

"I'm off the clock until dinner," Caroline corrected.

Liv scoffed, "You're not getting paid. Therefore, no clock to get on or off. Now get to my laundry. It's starting to pile up."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "Fine."

"Good."

She took off down the stairs, feeling the necklace in her pocket. Caroline shook her head as she entered the bedroom. Bonnie looked back at her briefly, but shrugged and followed Elena and Caroline inside.

"Alright," Caroline said excitedly, putting her bag on the bed, "I have TONS of makeup leftover from the two balls. That plus Bonnie's outfit she has picked out should do wonders for you."

"O-Okay…." Elena said shyly.

Caroline saw the hesitation in her eyes and put her hands on Elena's shoulders. "And if you get nervous, just think about Damon," she suggested, "Think about how happy he's going to be when he knows it's you. His eyes. His smile."

"And she knows this because she did the same exact thing with Stefan," Bonnie said, sitting on the bed.

Caroline glared at Bonnie and shook her head. "Are you going to be helpful?" Caroline teased, "If so, why don't you get us a snack or something."

"Oooh," Bonnie chuckled, "Now I'M Cinderella."

Caroline and Elena laughed.

"Whatever," Bonnie said, "I'll go. Cool if I take the servants stairs to the kitchen?"

"I was about to suggest that," Caroline said, widening her eyes, "Best if you don't walk down the hallway past Liv's bedroom."

Bonnie agreed with that completely and left the room, heading down the second flight of stairs behind the old door that would lead her straight down to the kitchen.

From the driveway, a car was pulling up in the circle paved with brick that had an extravagant fountain in the center surrounded by nicely trimmed hedges. When the car stopped, Damon pulled the keys out of the ignition. Stefan stepped out of the passenger seat and cringed from the sunlight. The two brothers walked towards the front door and Damon was the one to ring the doorbell. There was silence at first, and then a yell from a man, which caused both brothers to jump. The door was answered right after that.

Joshua Parker stood in the doorway with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Why Damon and Stefan Salvatore," Joshua said happily, "What do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hey Mr. Parker, nice to see you again," Damon replied, "We're actually looking for someone."

"I think I know exactly who you're looking for," Joshua said excitedly.

"You do?" Stefan asked.

"Of course," he answered, "Please, come in. Have a seat in the living room."

Damon was the first to enter the house followed by Stefan, who started to feel his own heart racing faster. Joshua sat them down on the couch while he himself sat on a chair in front of them, creating small talk about the ball, which was all very uncomfortable for the brothers. He would just ask ask awkward questions about the rumors people spread about them. Liv started to walk down the stairs to demand her father do something to make Caroline stay in her room all day, but she gasped and hid behind the corner when she heard whose voices were speaking in the living room. She bit her lip and grinned, knowing this was her one and only chance, but she had to take care of something first. Winning isn't fun unless you share it with everyone, after all.

In Caroline's bedroom, Elena was sitting on a chair in front of Caroline's crappy vanity table, playing with all kinds of ways her hair can be styled while laughing with each other. When Caroline let go of Elena's hair, she stood up straight and looked at the open door, thinking it was Bonnie coming back with the food, but instead, she saw Liv standing there, dangling her necklace in her fingers.

"Liv… what are you doing with that?"

"Oh this?" Liv said sweetly, looking at the shimmering diamonds, "I just thought I'd have something pretty to show our guests downstairs… they're absolutely dying to find the girl who fits the glass slipper."

Both Caroline and Elena quietly gasped.

"I wonder how Stefan's going to react when he finds out I'M Cinderella."

"You wouldn't dare," Caroline threatened, standing close to Liv.

"No YOU wouldn't dare!" Liv hissed, getting in Caroline's face, "Get over yourself, Caroline. You are NOTHING. You put on the pretty blue dress but you'll never have Stefan Salvatore when he finds out just how washed up you really are… a servant girl at age 17. In fact… you should be grateful to me. I'm saving you from embarrassing yourself in front of everyone in Los Angeles. You should be on your knees thanking me you filthy little bitch… and if you still won't listen to me… then I guess I have no other choice but to make you listen."

Liv grinned and quickly ran out of the door, pulling out a key from her pocket.

"Liv! No!" Caroline screamed, but it was too late. Liv drove the key into the lock and locked the door so she couldn't open it. Caroline tugged, pulled, and shook the door knob as much as she could, but it wasn't working, "You bitch! How could you!?"

Liv back up from the door, watching it shake and rattle. She grinned and knew her work was done.

"I'm sorry!" Caroline shouted from behind the door, "I'm sorry you can't be who you truly are without your father breathing down your neck… I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you feel this way about me… I'm just sorry…"

Liv stepped back. "There's no time for apologies. It's too late for that." She dropped the keys into her other pocket and started walking back down the stairs with a triumphant grin. Victory was just within her reach.

From the basement kitchen, Bonnie had finished making her plate of cheese, crackers, and a few slices of ham, turkey, and pepperoni. She figured it might have been a tad fancy, but she was really proud of herself either way. She had a plan to make a detour to Luke's room to show him how goddamn classy her snack plate looks, so she took the main stairs instead of the back way. When she got to the first floor, she immediately heard the voices of Joshua, Damon, and Stefan. It caused her to gasp and hide herself in the staircase.

"Why Damon and Stefan," Liv said delightfully as she entered into the room, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Actually, Liv," Stefan said, standing up, "I was wondering if you could help me find someone."

"Of course I can help," Liv answered.

Bonnie's eyes widened, which turned into an angry frown. She quickly looked around and started to tip-toe from the stairway, across the dining room, and up the main staircase, making sure she wasn't seen by anyone. Then she started to run up the stairs to get Caroline and Elena before Liv would do something stupid.

When she reached the top of the staircase, she placed her hand on the door knob, but it wouldn't budge. Caroline and Elena heard the sound of the door shaking and quickly sprung up.

"Hello?" Caroline called.

"Caroline?" Bonnie asked, "Elena? Are you guys in there?"

"Liv locked us in," Elena shouted.

"That bitch!" Bonnie cried, "Should I kick the door down?"

"No!" Caroline said, "Get Luke."

She agreed and ran down the stairs, running to the second floor where the hallways were much nicer with a giant window on the other side, which let in a lot of sunlight. Bonnie was confused as to how Liv's skin didn't burn in the light every time she emerged from her coffin of a bedroom. She shook her head. The time to be witty isn't now, Bonnie, she told herself. She found one of the doors and hoped this was it, knocking on it several times.

"Who is it?" a boy's voice responded.

"It's Bonnie!"

There was a pause before Luke opened the door. "Hey. What's up?"

"A lot," Bonnie said, "Stefan and Damon are downstairs and Liv locked Caroline and Elena in her room upstairs. She's gonna tell Stefan it was her and he might just believe her if she's convincing enough."

Luke's eyes started to get filled with anger. Bonnie swore she started to see the smoke coming out of his ears.

"I swear, that bitch will do anything to be selfish, won't she?" he muttered as he pushed past Bonnie and headed down the stairs.

When he got to the first floor, he saw Liv and Stefan sitting next to each other on the couch, laughing and facing each other. Luke shook his head and walked into the living room, his face practically red with anger.

"Where is it?" Luke demanded.

Liv looked at Luke, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, you're way too evil for that," he hissed, "Where's the key to Caroline's bedroom?"

Liv's eyes went wide as Stefan and Damon looked at her. She immediately started chuckling, hitting her own knee to cover it up. "Brother… I have absolutely no idea as to what you are referring to…"

"Hey…" Damon said quietly, "Caroline… she's friends with Elena, isn't she? They walk around with a third friend. We've seen them at school."

"Uhhh no you haven't," Liv spat at Damon, "They're nobodies. No one has seen them."

"Enough," Luke said, grabbing onto Liv's hand, "Give me the goddamn key."

"Lucas!" Joshua said, standing up and overpowering him, "Let go of your sister's arm and go back up stairs."

"My name is Luke!" he shouted back, still holding on to Liv's arm, "And she is NOT my sister. The girl trapped upstairs in her room is my sister… and I'm gonna free her."

Luke dug into Liv's loose pocket and pulled out the key to Caroline's room. She let go of her hand and started running up the stairs to the third floor. When he reached the door, he put the key into the old door knob and shook it a little bit before turning it and opening the door. Caroline emerged from it and sighed with relief, hugging Luke tightly.

"You are literally the best," she breathed.

"We can talk about that later," Luke said, "Right now you need to go. Both of you!"

Downstairs, Damon and Stefan were watching Liv and Joshua recover from the little spat they had with Luke. Joshua had exited the room, leaving Liv standing there with a coy smile on her face.

"So…" she said, "Where were we? You said you wanted to ask me something."

"Oh, right," Stefan said, "At the ball, the girl I was dancing with said I would find her if she had this necklace from a woman named Jo Saltzman."

"Really?" Liv said sweetly, digging her hand into her pocket and holding the necklace in her grasp, "It's funny you should mention that-."

"Stefan no!" a girl's voice called from the staircase.

All eyes were immediately on the steps where two girls stood. One of them was a blonde, the other was a brunette. Their hair wasn't done in any special way, in fact, they looked as ordinary as ever. However, just the sight of the blonde girl alone made Stefan stand up from the couch. Caroline was breathing heavily after all of that running down the stairs. She had to admit, she was nervous in the moment, but if she didn't say something, she would be at Liv's mercy forever.

"She's not the girl you're looking for… I am."

Liv frowned and wedged herself in between Stefan and his view of Caroline. "Uhh no she's not. She's literally just a dumb servant girl in our house. She's not even important."

"Give it up, Liv," Luke shouted as he walked down the stairs, "Stefan, it's true. Caroline was the girl at the ball. And Damon… Elena's the girl you're looking for."

Damon stood up and looked at Luke as he got out of the way, then looked at Elena, who shyly shrugged and tried to put a smile on her face. He suddenly started to get weak at the knees as he saw her full face in all her glory.

"I was hoping it'd be you…" he admitted.

Elena smiled and started to walk down the last few steps, past Stefan and Caroline, who were still staring at each other. Breathlessly, Damon ran up to her, spun her around, and kissed her several times, causing her to giggle with excitement.

Everyone watched this happy moment except for Stefan and Caroline. Caroline let out a tiny gasp of nervousness when Stefan took the first step closer to the bottom of the staircase. The first thing he noticed was how scared she looked. Her stunning green eyes were filled with fear, but the fact that they were stunning at all made him even more nervous and excited. Even the tips of her fingers were trembling.

"Just like those ignorant popular guys," he said quietly, "not caring if they're in anybody's way.

"It's not your fault," she sighed, "It's those girls who mindlessly chase around those pompous snobs."

"I've seen you around before... what do people call you?"

She chuckled softly, "That you don't wanna know..."

"Then what's your name?" he said, taking another step towards her.

"Caroline..." she breathed, "Caroline Forbes."

"Caroline Forbes," Stefan repeated, smiling a little bit, "I like it."

She shrugged, "It grows on you, I guess."

This time, she was the one who took a few steps down to him, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs. He held his hand out for her and she smiled softly, taking it in hers. He wanted to be smooth and act like he was the smooth prince charming, but he was far too happy that he was definitely holding the hand of the most perfect girl he'd ever met.

"It is you…" he said.

Caroline's smile widened and their hands moved so their fingers were interlacing. He leaned down towards her to kiss her, but it was interrupted by the shrieking sound of Liv who was standing not too far from them, red with anger, green with jealousy, and embarrassingly bursting into tears.

"SHUT UP!" Damon, Elena, Bonnie, and Luke all shouted at her.

Stefan and Caroline laughed for a quick second, then he placed his hand on Caroline's cheek, looking at her beautiful face for a minute before kissing her.


	12. There's Music In You

There wasn't a big fairytale wedding like in the end of most fairy tales, mainly because these kids were only juniors in high school, but it certainly felt like a happily ever after for Stefan and Caroline. Immediately after the dust settled from the big drama of Stefan Salvatore finding his Cinderella, he asked Caroline out on their first official date. Of course, there were nerves to be had by both because they were concerned that their relationship wouldn't last past the mystery of the masquerade ball, but it went better than expected. The connection they found at the ball was truly a real connection. Both of them found exactly what they were looking, even when they weren't looking for it at all.

By the time summer rolled around that year, Stefan and Caroline had been dating for 8 years without any problems at all. Damon and Elena hit a few rough patches and broke up about three times, but managed to somehow come back to each other each time and were together when school let out for summer. Of course, with senior year on the horizon, there were plans to be made about colleges, fights to be had about the future, and stresses to be endured, but they weren't going to focus on that just yet.

One day, while Stefan and Caroline were sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV, Stefan was making old fashioned advances with Caroline, like yawning and putting his arm around her, which made her laugh and lean her head against his shoulder. That's exactly the moment when all hell broke loose. Joshua still managed to treat Caroline like a stupid servant girl during these last few months, so it finally came to a head that very night.

"You know what?" she said, standing up, "I quit. I quit this family and all of your lives. I'm no longer a slave to you, Joshua Parker. I am no one's Cinderella anymore."

That night, she called Jo, telling her she finally told Joshua to fuck himself, which made her more proud than any mother could ever be. Within the next few days, Caroline would move in with Jo and her husband, Alaric, just for senior year, then she would move off to college and start her own life, coming back to Jo's house for the holidays.

On moving day, everyone showed up to help Caroline get out of that horrible place. Stefan and Damon used their manly man power to do all of the heavy lifting, which was quite the sight to see those men flexing their muscles when they lifted things and put them down. They came out of the house carrying the headboard to Caroline's bed, struggling to get it out the door.

"Keep going!" Caroline encouraged.

"You're almost there," Elena cheered.

When they fit it through the door, they walked towards the moving truck.

"Where do you want this?" Stefan asked.

Looking at Stefan's flexed arms, Caroline bit her bottom lip and grinned, "You know what, just keep doing what you're doing… you're fine…"

Stefan laughed and set down his half of the headboard, quickly running up to Caroline and picking her up. She looked down at him and kissed him as he slowly started to put her down onto the ground.

"Ew! Couples," Luke shouted as he walked from the curbside to the driveway.

"Hey!" Caroline called, running up to Luke and hugging him, "What are you doing here? I thought you had a date with Xavier?"

"Eh," he shrugged, "It didn't work out. Turns out I have unbelievably high expectations for romance, so thanks for that, you guys."

"Well not everyone can fall in love at a masquerade ball under the stars surrounded by a garden of roses," Stefan bragged, coming up behind Caroline and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, some people are just luckier than others," Caroline laughed.

"Ugh, I need to lift something," Luke said, rolling up his sleeves and walking towards the truck.

Once everything was loaded up, Bonnie, Luke, Damon, and Elena went to the street corner and were ready to wave goodbye to them once the car drove away from the Parker Mansion. Caroline and Stefan got into Stefan's pick up truck as the moving truck followed them closely.

"Ready?" Stefan asked, turning his key in the ignition.

"I've been ready for years," Caroline answered, rolling her eyes, "Time for this princess to find a new castle."

"As her prince charming rides his pick-up truck off into the sunset," Stefan laughed, "Who knows? Maybe we'll live happily ever after."

Caroline scooted towards him and kissed his cheek. "Sounds perfect to me."

Stefan grinned and put his arm around Caroline as she snuggled up against him. He kissed her one last time before driving away, watching everyone wave at them as they left. That was the end of their story. Caroline looked back as they drove away, remembering how things were before all of this happened. It was amazing with a pretty dress, silver shoes, a diamond necklace, and some courage could do. From that moment on, Cinderella and her Prince Charming did indeed live happily ever after.

* * *

**AN: That's it! That's the end of the story! Thank you guys so much for the positive feedback. I LOVE hearing back from my readers and it means so much to me that you all loved it. Thank you for following me on this journey. Be sure to take a look at some of my other written works. The next story I am writing is entitled "Followed", so go ahead and check it out! **


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